We conducted a perspective study to investigate whether the expression of excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1), xeroderma pigmentosum group G (XPG), breast cancer 1 (BRCA1), and ribonucleotide reductase M1 (RRM1) is correlated with clinical outcome of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with histologically confirmed inoperable stages IIIB and IV NSCLC were collected and followed up until January 2012. Relative cDNA quantification for ERCC1, XPG, BRCA1, and RRM1 was performed using a fluorescence-based, real-time detection method. Cox regression analysis indicated that a high level of ERCC1 was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) times when compared with low expression, with adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval (CI)) of 2.25 (1.18-4.39) and 2.63 (1.33-5.25), respectively. High expression of BRCA1 was correlated with shorter OS and PFS times when compared with low expression, and the adjusted HRs (95% CI) were 3.29 (1.72-6.39) and 5.94 (2.80-13.06), respectively. Moreover, we found a significant correlation between BRCA1 expression and age (χ(2) = 4.14, P = 0.04) and stage (χ(2) = 5.26, P = 0.02). Our results suggest that ERCC1 and BRCA1 mRNA expressions are associated with PFS and OS in advanced NSCLC patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy.