Prevalence of ERCC1 overexpression and its relation with response to Cisplatin-based chemoradiation in cervical cancer

Although current treatment options for cervical cancer rely on platinum-based chemoradiotherapy, individualized approaches to therapy may improve response or reduce unnecessary toxicity. Overexpression of Excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1) has been associated with Cisplatin resistance in some tumors. We hypothesized that ERCC1 overexpression is related to treatment response. 32 patients with cervical cancer were enrolled. Malignant tissue was isolated from pretreatment biopsies, and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays were performed to determine ERCC1 expression. Patients were divided to ERCC1 positive and ERCC1 negative. Response to chemoradiotherapy was evaluated and compared among the two groups. The mean age of participants was 56.6±12 years. Objective response was obtained in 24 patients (75%). ERCC1 was 2.8 times higher in patients who did not respond to treatment compared with the responders (OR: 2.8). ‍ Assessment of ERCC1 expression in tumoral tissue is possible in the clinical setting and predicts response to chemoradiotherapy. Further studies are necessary for final judgment.