Background: Previous studies examining excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) have not compared methods of ERCC1 testing nor been stratified by human papillomavirus (HPV) status.
Methods: ERCC1 protein expression, mRNA, and genotype were retrospectively evaluated from pretreatment biopsies in 55 patients with SCCHN treated with chemoradiation.
Results: In all, 50% of patients had high ERCC1 protein expression, 28.2% had low mRNA levels, and genotype frequencies were C/C = 17.1%, C/T = 43.9%, and T/T = 39.0%. No correlations were found among protein expression, mRNA, or genotype. With a median follow-up of 54 months, the 5-year overall survival was 57.7%. After adjusting for known prognostic factors, ERCC1 protein level and genotype resulted in hazard ratios indicating an increased risk of death of 4.4-fold (p = .004) and 4.2-fold (p = .044), respectively. An exploratory analysis suggested a differential prognostic effect in HPV-negative SCCHN.
Conclusions: ERCC1 protein expression using the FL297 antibody warrants further study as a potential prognostic marker in SCCHN.
Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.