The Relationship between Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of ERCC1 Gene and the Response to Platinum Based Chemotherapy in Egyptian Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Abstract

ung cancer was assumed as a rare disease; now it’s considered a public health problem. It is one of the leading common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In Egypt, lung cancer represents 5.0-7.0% of all cancers and ranks the fifth in males and in both sexes, and ninth among females. The two main types of lung cancer include: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. The NSCLC is the major one representing about 85% of lung cancers. Approximately two thirds of patients with NSCLC are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Moreover, NSCLC is a chemo-resistant tumor. The prognosis for patients with NSCLC is dismal regardless of the chemotherapy regimen used. Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for most advanced NSCLC. Their clinical success is limited due to severe side effects and intrinsic or acquired resistance to the treatment. Platinum salts bind to DNA forming DNA adducts which then inhibit DNA replication. DNA adducts of platinum are mainly removed by the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway. This is one of the four DNA repair mechanisms that has a role in the control of the progression of the cell cycle and apoptosis via DNA damage checkpoints.