Non-small cell lung carcinoma patients are frequently treated with cisplatin (CDDP), most often yielding temporary clinical responses. Here, we show that PARP1 is highly expressed and constitutively hyperactivated in a majority of human CDDP-resistant cancer cells of distinct histologic origin. Cells manifesting elevated intracellular levels of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated proteins (PAR(high)) responded to pharmacologic PARP inhibitors as well as to PARP1-targeting siRNAs by initiating a DNA damage response that translated into cell death following the activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Moreover, PARP1-overexpressing tumor cells and xenografts displayed elevated levels of PAR, which predicted the response to PARP inhibitors in vitro and in vivo more accurately than PARP1 expression itself. Thus, a majority of CDDP-resistant cancer cells appear to develop a dependency to PARP1, becoming susceptible to PARP inhibitor-induced apoptosis. Cancer Res; 73(7); 2271-80.