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Gajjar et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2016;2:471-6 Journal of
DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2016.52
Cancer Metastasis and Treatment

www.jcmtjournal.com
Original Article Open Access

ERCC1 expression in patients with

colorectal cancer: a pilot study

Kinjal K. Gajjar , Deep Kumari Yadav , Toral P. Kobawala , Trupti I. Trivedi , Hemangini H. Vora ,
1
2
1
1
1
Nandita R. Ghosh 1
1 Cancer Biology Department, the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, NCH Compound, Asarwa, Ahmedabad 380016, Gujarat, India.
2 Immunohistochemistry and Flow Cytometry Division, Cancer Biology Department, The Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, NCH Compound,
Asarwa, Ahmedabad 380016, Gujarat, India.
Correspondence to: Dr. Nandita R. Ghosh, Cancer Biology Department, The Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, NCH Compound, Asarwa,
Ahmedabad 380016, Gujarat, India. E-mail: nandita.ghosh@gcriindia.org
How to cite this article: Gajjar KK, Yadav DK, Kobawala TP, Trivedi TI, Vora HH, Ghosh NR. ERCC1 expression in patients with colorectal cancer:
a pilot study. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2016;2:471-6.
ABSTRACT
Article history: Aim: Excision repair cross complementation group 1 (ERCC1) has a key role in enhanced
Received: 31-08-2016 DNA damage repair caused by oxaliplatin-based therapy and may lead to resistance of
Accepted: 16-12-2016 these platinum drugs in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Hence, the present preliminary
Published: 29-12-2016 study aimed to explore the role of ERCC1 C/T polymorphism at codon 118 as well as
its immunoreactivity in patients with primary CRC. Methods: ERCC1 polymorphism
Key words: was studied using PCR-RFLP and ERCC1 protein expression was examined by
Excision repair cross immunohistochemistry in 50 CRC patients. Results: ERCC1 codon 118 C/T polymorphism
complementation group 1, analysis reported the predominance of C/T (52%) genotype as compared to C/C (38%)
oxaliplatin, and T/T (10%) genotypes. Furthermore, 72% of patients showed positive ERCC1 protein
colorectal cancer, expression. Significant correlation was not observed between clinicopathological
polymorphism, parameters and ERCC1 polymorphism, while ERCC1 protein expression significantly
protein expression, correlated only with tumor site (colon vs. rectum) (P = 0.046). Further, the present study
PCR-RFLP, failed to demonstrate the role of ERCC1 C118T polymorphism or protein expression
immunohistochemistry as useful prognostic markers in CRC patients. Conclusion: ERCC1-positive protein
expression may be a useful marker for rectal cancer patients. However, further evaluation
in a larger set of CRC patients is required to better understand the role of ERCC1.

INTRODUCTION overall response rate is only 10-15% for advanced
CRC when treated with 5-FU alone. In recent years,
[2]
The antimetabolite, 5-Flourouracil (5-FU), was the outcome of patients with CRC has been improved
introduced in 1957 by Heidelberger et al. and today significantly because of the use of oxaliplatin-based
[1]
it is the cornerstone of chemotherapeutic regimens in combination therapy with 5-FU (FOLFOX). Oxaliplatin,
treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the in combination with leucovorin and 5-FU, is quite

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