Clinicopathological correlation of the expression of excision repair cross complementation group 1 (ERCC1) in oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas: an immunohistochemical study

BACKGROUND: The nucleotide excision repair pathway is a sophisticated DNA repair mechanism that reduces DNA damage caused by exogenous factors. Excision repair cross complementation group 1 (ERCC1) is a prominent member of this pathway that maintains the genomic stability. The aim of this study is to determine the association between the immunohistochemical expression of ERCC1 and the clinical and pathological features of oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sections of formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks of oral squamous cell carcinomas (n = 60) were immunohistochemically stained with anti-ERCC1 antibody. The association between the nuclear expression of ERCC1 and the clinicopathological parameters of the tumors and the patient outcomes was evaluated using the chi-square test. RESULTS: ERCC1 expression was evident in all studied cases of the oral squamous cell carcinomas. A high ERCC1 expression was associated with smaller tumors, tumors without lymph node involvement and well-differentiated tumors (p < 0.001). Better outcomes were associated with higher expression of ERCC1 (p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: ERCC1 seems to be an efficient biomarker for prognostication of oral squamous cell carcinomas. High expression of ERCC1 indicates more favorable course of the disease.