Lynch Syndrome In Women Research Articles

Performance characteristics of a brief Family History Questionnaire to screen for Lynch syndrome in women with newly diagnosed endometrial cancer

ObjectiveThe brief Family History Questionnaire (bFHQ) was developed to identify endometrial cancer patients whose family histories suggest Lynch syndrome (LS). We compared the bFHQ, extended Family History Questionnaire (eFHQ) and dictated medical records (DMRs) to determine which family history screening strategy is superior in identifying LS in unselected women with newly diagnosed endometrial cancer that have undergone universal germline testing. MethodsProspective cohort study recruited women with newly diagnosed endometrial cancer to evaluate screening strategies to identify LS. Participants completed bFHQ and eFHQ, had tumor assessed with immunohistochemistry (IHC) for mismatch repair proteins (MMR) and micro-satellite instability testing and underwent universal germline testing for LS. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) were compared between the family history screening strategies as well as IHC. Results118 of 182 eligible patients (65%) consented; 87 patients (74%) were evaluable with both family history and germline mutation status. Median age was 61years (range 26–91). All 7 patients with confirmed LS were correctly identified by bFHQ, compared to 5 and 4 by eFHQ and DMR, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV values of bFHQ were 100%, 76.5%, 25.9% and 100%, respectively, performing similar to IHC testing. While eFHQ was more specific than bFHQ (86.7% vs. 76.5%, P=0.007), 2 cases of LS were missed. ConclusionsThe patient-administered bFHQ effectively identified women with confirmed LS and is a good screening tool to triage women with endometrial cancer for further genetic assessment.

Utility of MLH1 Methylation Analysis in the Clinical Evaluation of Lynch Syndrome in Women with Endometrial Cancer

Clinical screening criteria, such as young age of endometrial cancer diagnosis and family history of signature cancers, have traditionally been used to identify women with Lynch Syndrome, which is caused by mutation of a DNA mismatch repair gene. Immunohistochemistry and microsatellite instability analysis have evolved as important screening tools to evaluate endometrial cancer patients for Lynch Syndrome. A complicating factor is that 15-20% of sporadic endometrial cancers have immunohistochemical loss of the DNA mismatch repair protein MLH1 and high levels of microsatellite instability due to methylation of MLH1. The PCR-based MLH1 methylation assay potentially resolves this issue, yet many clinical laboratories do not perform this assay. The objective of this study was to determine if clinical and pathologic features help to distinguish sporadic endometrial carcinomas with MLH1 loss secondary to MLH1 methylation from Lynch Syndrome-associated endometrial carcinomas with MLH1 loss and absence of MLH1 methylation. Of 337 endometrial carcinomas examined, 54 had immunohistochemical loss of MLH1. 40/54 had MLH1 methylation and were designated as sporadic, while 14/54 lacked MLH1 methylation and were designated as Lynch Syndrome. Diabetes and deep myometrial invasion were associated with Lynch Syndrome; no other clinical or pathological variable distinguished the 2 groups. Combining Society of Gynecologic Oncology screening criteria with these 2 features accurately captured all Lynch Syndrome cases, but with low specificity. In summary, no single clinical/pathologic feature or screening criteria tool accurately identified all Lynch Syndrome-associated endometrial carcinomas, highlighting the importance of the MLH1 methylation assay in the clinical evaluation of these patients.

Testing Women With Endometrial Cancer for Lynch Syndrome: Should We Test All?

Women with Lynch syndrome (LS) are at equal or higher risk for gynecologic cancers compared with their risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). Endometrial cancer (EC) often precedes CRC as patients' sentinel malignancy. Identifying these patients is believed to reduce their substantial risk for synchronous and metachronous tumors and has profound implications for reducing cancer-related morbidity and mortality in other family members. Routine screening of patients with CRC for LS has become increasingly common, but routine screening for LS in women with EC is rarely performed. Current screening guidelines for identifying LS in women with EC vary but rely heavily on patient age and personal/family history, with or without incorporation of tumor pathology. Because each of these strategies misses a significant proportion of women with LS, more inclusive screening strategies that make good economic and clinical sense are needed. In recent years, emerging medicoeconomic evidence supports the fact that screening EC patients for LS may be cost-effective. Implementation of such a strategy requires multidisciplinary collaboration and partnership.

Brief family history questionnaire for identification of Lynch syndrome in women with newly diagnosed endometrial cancer.

5026 Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is often the sentinel cancer for women with Lynch syndrome (LS); however, it is underappreciated in this population. The Brief Family History Questionnaire (bFHQ) was developed to identify women with EC who have family histories suggestive of LS. The objective of our study was to evaluate the bFHQ compared to an extended family history (eFHQ) and medical record in identifying women with EC who may benefit from genetic cancer risk assessment. Methods: All women with newly diagnosed EC from July 2010 to June 2011 were asked to participate in a prospective screening protocol for LS which included completing two family history questionnaires; the bFHQ which is a 4-item self-report measure and the 37-item eFHQ administered by a research assistant. Family history was also extracted from the medical record. Using the bFHQ women were flagged as requiring additional investigation for LS based on predetermined criteria and the predictive ability of the flag was evaluated treating eFHQ as the gold standard. Comparisons were made between the bFHQ, eFHQ and medical record for families meeting Amsterdam II, Society Gynecologic Oncologist (SGO) 20-25% or the Ontario Ministry of Health (MOH) testing criteria for LS, using generalized estimating equation logistic regression models. Results: 119 (N = 182, 65%) consented to the study and 106 (89%) completed the bFHQ. The median age was 61 (26-91). The number of women who met testing criteria by the eFHQ was 17 (16%) and 33 (31%) were flagged by the bFHQ. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the bFHQ was 88.2%, 79.8%, 45.5% and 97.3%. There was no significant difference in the number of women who met Amsterdam II or SGO 20-25% testing criteria between the bFHQ, eFHQ and medical record (P > 0.05). The numbers of women meeting MOH criteria using the bFHQ (N=16, 15%) and the eFHQ were similar (N=17, 16%) (P = 0.7); however, more women met MOH criteria using the bFHQ and the eFHQ compared to the medical record (N=8, 7.6%) (P = 0.011; P = 0.006). Conclusions: The patient-administered bFHQ is a highly effective tool in identifying women who meet MOH testing criteria for LS and is a good screening tool to identify women with EC for further genetic assessment.

The role of expanded testing for Lynch syndrome in women with endometrial cancer.

The role of expanded testing for Lynch syndrome in women with endometrial cancer.

Testing women with endometrial cancer to detect Lynch syndrome.

Women with endometrial cancer as a result of Lynch syndrome may not be identified as such by Amsterdam II criteria. We estimated the costs and benefits of different testing criteria to identify Lynch syndrome in women with endometrial cancer. We developed a Markov Monte Carlo simulation model to compare six criteria for Lynch syndrome testing for women with endometrial cancer: Amsterdam II criteria; age younger than 50 years with at least one first-degree relative having a Lynch-associated cancer at any age (FDR); immunohistochemistry (IHC) triage if age younger than 50 years; IHC triage if age younger than 60 years; IHC triage at any age if 1 FDR; and IHC triage of all endometrial cancers. Net health benefit was life expectancy, and primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). The model estimated the number of new colorectal cancers associated with each strategy. IHC triage of women with endometrial cancer having at least 1 FDR yielded a favorable ICER of $9,126 per year of life gained. This strategy would subject fewer cases to IHC but identify more mutation carriers than age thresholds of 50 or 60 years. IHC triage of all endometrial cancers could identify the most mutation carriers and prevent the most colorectal cancers but at considerable cost ($648,494 per year of life gained). IHC triage of women with endometrial cancer at any age having at least 1 FDR with a Lynch-associated cancer is a cost-effective strategy for detecting Lynch syndrome.

Identifying Lynch syndrome in women with endometrial cancer

Objective: Approximately 2% of endometrial cancers are attributable to Lynch syndrome. Selecting a subgroup of patients with endometrial cancer at higher risk for Lynch syndrome may identify a cohort for genetic counseling and testing.

Prospective evaluation of DNA mismatch repair protein expression in primary endometrial cancer

Objectives Immunohistochemical (IHC) stains for mismatch repair (MMR) proteins help screen for Lynch syndrome and identify microsatellite unstable colorectal carcinomas, providing prognostic information. It has been suggested that colorectal and endometrial carcinomas should be screened routinely for a MMR defect, but data are lacking on the practical application of this policy. We report our experience with the prospective evaluation of MMR protein expression in endometrial cancer. Methods All cases of primary endometrial cancer at a single institution regardless of age, family history or histologic features were prospectively stained for the MMR proteins MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2. Clinical and pathologic correlates were collected from the medical record. Results A total of 140 endometrial cancer cases were studied. Over 90% of cases were of endometrioid histology. 119 patients had stage I/II disease, and 21 stage III/IV. Nineteen percent of patients were < age 50. Overall, there was loss of 1 or more MMR proteins in 30 patients (21%), including MLH1 and PMS2 in 24, MSH2 and MSH6 in 4, and MSH6 in 2 patients. None of the patients met clinical criteria for Lynch syndrome. However, using MMR protein expression, age and family history, 11% of patients were referred for genetic counseling. Of these patients, three (20%) scheduled an appointment: one canceled and two tested negative. Conclusions Prospective staining for MMR proteins is feasible and allows for primary triage for the evaluation of Lynch syndrome in women with endometrial cancer. However, acceptance of genetic consultation and testing is surprisingly low and deserves further investigation.

Endometrial cancer and Lynch syndrome: clinical and pathologic considerations.

Approximately 2% to 5% of endometrial cancers may be due to an inherited susceptibility. Lynch syndrome, also known as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) syndrome, an autosomal-dominant inherited cancer susceptibility syndrome caused by a germline mutation in one of the DNA mismatch repair genes, accounts for the majority of inherited cases. Lynch syndrome is associated with early onset of cancer and the development of multiple cancer types, particularly colon and endometrial cancer. The current status of knowledge regarding Lynch syndrome-associated endometrial cancer and methods for diagnosis, screening, and prevention of cancers is reviewed. The lifetime cumulative risk of endometrial cancer for women with Lynch syndrome is 40% to 60%, which equals or exceeds their risk of colorectal cancer. No current evidence suggests either a survival advantage or disadvantage to endometrial cancer that is associated with Lynch syndrome when these cases are compared with sporadic cases. A combination of family and personal medical history and tumor testing provides an efficient basis for diagnosing Lynch syndrome in women with endometrial cancer. Current gynecologic cancer screening guidelines for women with Lynch syndrome include annual endometrial sampling and transvaginal ultrasonography beginning at age 30 to 35 years. Diagnosing endometrial cancer patients with Lynch syndrome has important clinical implications for the individual and family members. Screening and prevention practices can decrease the likelihood of developing additional cancers.

Germline PTEN Mutations As a Cause of Early-Onset Endometrial Cancer

TO THE EDITOR: In the article by Lu et al, 1 the investigators conducted a prospective assessment of the prevalence of Lynch syndrome in women diagnosed with endometrial cancer before age 50 years. Although they identified germline Lynch syndrome–associated mutations in 9% of their patient population, their data also suggest that for 91% of patients with early-onset endometrial cancer, the genetic basis is unclear. One genetic condition that could contribute is Cowden syndrome (CS), which is another inherited cancer susceptibility syndrome in which early endometrial cancer can occur. CS is characterized by germline mutations in the tumor suppressor PTEN that is located on chromosome 10q23.3. Loss of PTEN increases activation of the Akt/mTOR pathway, increases tumorigenesis in many organs in preclinical studies (including the uterus), and is a poor prognostic factor for many types of cancer. Germline mutations in PTEN are associated with a number of hamartomatous syndromes, of which CS is the prototype. CS patients develop thyroid, breast, and endometrial cancers at an earlier age than the general population, and have an overall increased incidence of these cancers compared with the general population. In a young woman diagnosed with endometrial cancer, a thorough history and physical examination evaluating signs of CS such as macrocephaly, mucocutaneous lesions (ie, facial trichilemmomas, acral keratoses, papillomatous lesions, or mucosal lesions) should be performed. If a patient meets established clinical criteria for CS, 2 or has a family member diagnosed with CS, referral for genetic testing and sequencing for germline mutation of PTEN should be considered. Although Lynch syndrome and CS can independently contribute to early-onset endometrial cancer, defects in mismatch repair (MMR), microsatellite instability (MSI), and PTEN mutations might be etiologically related. For example, in a population-based study of patients with sporadic endometrial cancer, 3 tumors with MSI had a higher frequency of PTEN mutations. Patients whose tumors harbored MSI and PTEN mutations were more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage and exhibited a worse prognosis. Zhou et al 4 demonstrated that a high frequency of somaticPTEN mutations, especially