XRCC3 Gene Polymorphism Is Associated with Survival in Japanese Lung Cancer Patients

We focused on OGG1 Ser326Cys, MUTYH Gln324His, APEX1 Asp148Glu, XRCC1 Arg399Gln, and XRCC3 Thr241Met and examined the relationship between the different genotypes and survival of Japanese lung cancer patients. A total of 99 Japanese lung cancer patients were recruited into our study. Clinical data were collected, and genotypes of the target genes were identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Survival analysis to verify the impact of these gene polymorphisms on the clinical outcome of lung cancer showed that lung squamous cell carcinoma patients with the Thr/Met genotype at XRCC3 had a significantly shorter survival time than those with the Thr/Thr genotype (13 months versus 48 months; log-rank test, p < 0.0001). Cox regression analysis showed that the carriers of XRCC3 genotypes were at a significantly higher risk [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 9.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.52-34.68, p = 0.001; adjusted HR = 9.05, 95% CI = 1.89-44.39, p = 0.006]. Our results suggest that XRCC3 Thr241Met may act as a favorable prognostic indicator for lung squamous cell carcinoma patients.