In this case‐control study, seven candidate SNPs in 3ʹUTR of DRC‐related genes, including ERCC1 (rs3212986, rs2336219, and rs735482), OGG1 (rs1052133), MLH3 (rs108621), CD3EAP (rs1007616), and PPP1R13L (rs6966), were analyzed in well‐characterized series of 300 lung cancer patients matched with 300 healthy controls from the northeast of China to prospectively evaluate the associations between DRC‐related polymorphisms in 3ʹUTR and the risk of lung tumorigenesis. Here, MLH3 is linked to lung cancer.