After adjustment for environmental factors, compared with CG haplotype, patients with ERCC1 rs3212986-rs11615 AG haplotype had worse cognitive function (adjusted Beta = − 5.42, adjusted P = 0.028) and somatic function (adjusted Beta = − 6.55, adjusted P = 0.007), and had severer symptoms of loss of appetite (adjusted OR = 1.67, adjusted P = 0.025) and dysphagia (adjusted OR = 4.43, adjusted P = 0.019), which indicated that ERCC1 rs3212986-rs11615 AG haplotype is a risk factor of quality of life in patients with lung cancer. Here, ERCC1 is linked to lung carcinoma.