Expression of ERCC1 predicts clinical outcome in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with cisplatin-based induction chemotherapy

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) protein with the clinical outcome of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with cisplatin-based induction chemotherapy. One hundred one Stage III-IVB nonkeratinizing NPC patients who were treated with cisplatin (DDP)+fluorouracil (5-Fu) induction chemotherapy were recruited. Pre-treatment tumor biopsy specimens were analyzed for ERCC1 by immunohistochemistry. The relationship of ERCC1 expression and chemotherapy response and survival of these NPC patients was analyzed. The objective response to induction chemotherapy of NPC patients with low ERCC1 expression compared with high ERCC1 expression was 88.2% vs. 72% (P=0.041). The 5-year distant failure-free survival (D-FFS) of NPC patients with low ERCC1 expression compared with high ERCC1 expression was 73.5% vs. 51.3% (P=0.037). ERCC1 expression was a significant prognostic factor for overall survival and D-FFS using Cox regression analysis. High tumor ERCC1 expression predicts low chemotherapy response and poor survival mainly caused by more metastasis in locoregionally advanced NPC treated with cisplatin-based induction chemotherapy.