VCP gene variation predicts outcome of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer platinum-based chemotherapy

Valosin-containing protein (VCP), or p97, is a member of the ATP-binding protein family, and is involved in numerous cellular events, such as, protein degradation, membrane fusion, and chaperone activity. VCP has been demonstrated playing a critical role in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) pathogenesis and progression recently. We investigated the association between VCP polymorphisms and clinical outcome in advanced NSCLC patients undergoing platinum-based chemotherapy. We recruited 663 Chinese advanced NSCLC patients who were treated with platinum-based regimens, and using their clinical data, we assessed the efficacy and side effects of their treatment. Three tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of VCP were genotyped. SNP rs2074549 showed a significant association with severe neutropenia. Its G/G genotype increased the risk of grade 3 or 4 neutropenia compared with wild-type homozygotes A/A (P = .001, odds ratio = 2.975). Haplotype association analysis revealed that CGA was associated with the increased incidence of severe neutropenia (P = .041, odds ratio = 1.439). However, no significant relationship was found between the presence of VCP polymorphisms and treatment efficacy when objective response, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Our study is the first to provide evidence that VCP polymorphisms are associated with a severe chemotherapy-related adverse outcome in platinum-treated advanced NSCLC patients.