MSI-L Tumors Research Articles

Detecting microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer using Transformer-based colonoscopy image classification and retrieval.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health concern, with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) being a defining characteristic of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome and affecting 15% of sporadic CRCs. Tumors with MSI-H have unique features and better prognosis compared to MSI-L and microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors. This study proposed establishing a MSI prediction model using more available and low-cost colonoscopy images instead of histopathology. The experiment utilized a database of 427 MSI-H and 1590 MSS colonoscopy images and vision Transformer (ViT) with different feature training approaches to establish the MSI prediction model. The accuracy of combining pre-trained ViT features was 84% with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86, which was better than that of DenseNet201 (80%, 0.80) in the experiment with support vector machine. The content-based image retrieval (CBIR) approach showed that ViT features can obtain a mean average precision of 0.81 compared to 0.79 of DenseNet201. ViT reduced the issues that occur in convolutional neural networks, including limited receptive field and gradient disappearance, and may be better at interpreting diagnostic information around tumors and surrounding tissues. By using CBIR, the presentation of similar images with the same MSI status would provide more convincing deep learning suggestions for clinical use.

Immunogenic characteristics of microsatellite instability-low esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma based on clinicopathological, molecular, immunological and survival analyses.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is categorized by mutation frequency: high MSI (MSI-H), low MSI (MSI-L) and microsatellite stable (MSS). MSI-H tumors have a distinct immunogenic phenotype, with immunotherapies using checkpoint inhibitors already approved for the treatment of MSI-H gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA); this is not observed for MSI-L or MSS. Here, we tested the hypothesis that MSI-L tumors are also a distinct phenotype and potentially immunogenic. MSI-PCR assays (BAT25, BAT26, BAT40, D2S123, D5S346 and D17S250) were performed on 363 Epstein-Barr virus-negative, surgically resected esophagogastric junction (EGJ) adenocarcinoma samples. Tumors were characterized as MSI-H (≥2 markers), MSI-L (1 marker) or MSS (0 markers). CD8+ cell counts, PD-L1 and HER2 expression levels, TP53 mutations, epigenetic alterations and prognostic significance were also examined. All pathological and molecular experiments were conducted using serial, whole-tumor sections of chemo-naïve surgical specimens. MSI-H and MSI-L were assigned to 28 (7.7%) and 24 (6.6%) cases, respectively. Compared to MSS cases, MSI-L cases had significantly higher intratumoral CD8+ cell infiltration (P = .048) and favorable EGJ cancer-specific survival (multivariate hazard ratio = 0.35, 95% CI, 0.12-0.82; P = .012). MSI-L tumors were also significantly associated with TP53-truncating mutations as compared to MSI-H (P = .009) and MSS (P = .012) cases, and this trend was also observed in GEA data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Indel mutational burden among TCGA MSI-L tumors was significantly higher than that of MSS tumors (P = .016). These results suggest that MSI-L tumors may have a distinct tumor phenotype and be potentially immunogenic in EGJ adenocarcinoma.

Abstract 2226: Precise stratification of immunotherapy outcomes using response-associated somatic mutations

Abstract Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated efficacy in a variety of cancer types. However, enhanced predictors of response are needed to identify patients who are likely to respond, while sparing others from unnecessary toxicity. Predictors of response have been identified, including tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI) and PD-L1 expression. Studies looking for somatic mutations associated with ICI response have thus far been limited to single cancer types. Here, we used a clinical-genomic database combining ICI treatment outcomes with next-generation sequencing of tumors to identify somatic mutations associated with ICI response across 12 cancer types. Methods and Results: The cohort consisted 1,525 patients with 12 cancer types, derived from the cohort published by Samstein et al. (Nature Genetics, 2019). All patients had received at least one dose of an ICI (anti-PD-1/PD-L1, anti-CTLA-4 or both) and had a next-generation sequencing panel performed on matched tumor and normal tissue to identify somatic mutations. Using multivariable Cox regression–stratified by cancer type and including age, sex, ICI type, and TMB as covariates–we identified 14 ICI-response associated genes (IRAGs) across 6 cancer types. We verified that these IRAGs were predictive rather than prognostic; they were not associated with overall survival in the non-ICI-treated TCGA cohort. In order to determine whether these IRAGs could be used in conjunction with TMB or MSI to more precisely predict ICI outcomes, we stratified the cohort by MSI and TMB status and repeated the regression analysis. MSI-H was defined as MSIsensor score ≥ 10, while TMB-H was defined as the top 20th percentile within each cancer type. When stratifying by MSI status, we found that RNF43 was independently associated with improved survival among MSI-H COADREAD patients, while 11 IRAGs were associated with worse outcomes in MSI-L tumors. When stratifying by both MSI and TMB status, we found that among TMB-L/MSI-L patients, 3 IRAGs in BLCA and 2 in LUAD were independently associated with worse outcomes. Conclusions: Our results suggest that these IRAGs could be used in combination with MSI and/or TMB status to more precisely predict ICI treatment outcomes. Validation in other ICI-treated cohorts should be pursued. Genes associated with immunotherapy response, stratified by MSI and/or TMB statusCancerGeneSubgroupPatientsMutated (%)HR (95% CI)PCOADREADRNF43MSI-H2919 (66%)0.11 (0.02-0.73)0.023BLCAELF3MSI-L20713 (6%)5.56 (2.03-15.2)<0.001BLCANOTCH1MSI-L20713 (6%)3.72 (1.82-7.61)<0.001BLCAPIK3CAMSI-L20743 (21%)1.99 (1.20-3.32)0.008BRCAKMT2DMSI-L445 (11%)5.33 (1.12-25.4)0.035BRCAPIK3CAMSI-L4414 (32%)3.04 (1.05-8.79)0.04COADREADNCOR1MSI-L815 (6%)8.66 (1.83-41.0)0.007HNSCROS1MSI-L1346 (4%)4.23 (1.35-13.2)0.003HNSCSMARCA4MSI-L1346 (4%)5.13 (1.74-15.1)0.003LUADBRAFMSI-L29322 (8%)2.1 (1.19-3.73)0.011LUADKEAP1MSI-L29364 (22%)1.53 (1.07-2.18)0.021LUADPBRM1MSI-L29316 (5%)2.8 (1.54-.511)<0.001BLCAELF3TMB-L/MSI-L16811 (7%)4.97 (1.63-15.2)0.005BLCANOTCH1TMB-L/MSI-L1686 (4%)5.21 (1.98-13.7)<0.001BLCAPIK3CATMB-L/MSI-L16827 (16%)2.15 (1.17-3.94)0.013LUADBRAFTMB-L/MSI-L23013 (6%)2.65 (1.35-5.18)0.004LUADPBRM1TMB-L/MSI-L2307 (3%)3.2 (1.45-7.08)0.004 Citation Format: Tomi Jun, Tao Qing, Robert Samstein, Carlos Cordon-Cardo, Lajos Pusztai, Kuan-Lin Huang. Precise stratification of immunotherapy outcomes using response-associated somatic mutations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 2226.

Increasing Demand for MSI Testing and Prevalence of MSI-H Cancers in Thai Patients: Experience at Chulalongkorn GenePRO Center.

RATIONALE:Loss of DNA mismatch repair function has long been known in various malignancies, particularly colorectal cancer. However, microsatellite instability (MSI) testing was rarely requested in Thailand. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved pembrolizumab, an antibody to PD-1 receptor, as an alternative treatment for high MSI (MSI-H) and/or MMR (mismatch repair)-deficient solid tumors. We report our recent observation on MSI testing in Thailand.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Data was collected from Chulalongkorn GenePRO Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, during July 2013 and July 2017. MSI testing was performed, using 5 microsatellite markers (BAT-25, BAT-26, D2S123, D5S346 and D17S250). The number, source, and result of samples underwent MSI assay were analyzed.RESULTS:Requests for MSI testing have increased significantly in recent years. The shift started in 2015 when the MMR status was found to predict clinical benefit with the immune checkpoint blockade. There were 118 (75.2%) colorectal, 11 (7%) gastric, and 28 (17.8%) other cancers tested. MSI-H, MSI-L, and microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors were detected in 18 (11.5%), 11 (7%), and 128 (81.5%) patients, respectively. Of the 18 MSI-H cancers; 13 (72.2%), 4 (22.2%), and 1 (5.6%) were colorectal, gastric, and gynecologic malignancy, respectively. BAT25 and BAT26 markers were unstable in all MSI-H tumors.CONCLUSION:We have experienced increasing demand for MSI testing in Thai patients at Chulalongkorn GenePRO Center. Colorectal cancers were most frequently tested, and accounted for the highest percentage among the MSI-H cancers.

Study of Promoter Methylation Patterns of HOXA2, HOXA5, and HOXA6 and Its Clinicopathological Characteristics in Colorectal Cancer.

Research on DNA methylation offers great potential for the identification of biomarkers that can be applied for accurately assessing an individual's risk for cancer. In this article, we try to find the ideal epigenetic genes involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) based on a CRC database and our CRC cohort. The top 20 genes with an extremely high frequency of hypermethylation in CRC were identified in the latest database. Remarkably, 3 HOXA genes were included in this list and ranked at the top. The percentage of methylation in the HOXA5, HOXA2, and HOXA6 genes in CRC were up to 67.62, 58.36, and 31.32%, respectively, and ranked first in CRC among all human tumor tissues. Paired colorectal tumor samples and adjacent non-tumor colorectal tissue samples and four CRC cell lines were selected for MethylTarget™ assays. The results demonstrated that CRC tissues and cells had a stronger methylation status around the 3 HOXA gene promoter regions compared with adjacent non-tumor colonic tissue samples. The Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) curves for HOXA genes show excellent diagnostic ability in distinguishing tissue from healthy individuals and CRC patients, especially for Stage I patients (AUC = 0.9979 in HOXA2, 0.9309 in HOXA5, and 0.8025 in HOXA6). An association analysis between the methylation pattern of HOXA genes and clinical indicators was performed and found that HOXA2 methylation was significantly associated with age, N, stage, M, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, lymph node number. HOXA5 methylation was associated with age, T, M, stage, and tumor status, and HOXA6 methylation was associated with age and KRAS mutation. Notably, we found that the highest methylation of HOXA5 and HOXA2 occurs in the early stages of colorectal cancer tissues such as stage I, N0, MO, and non-invasive tissues. The methylation levels declined as tumors progressed. However, methylation level at any stage of the tumor was still significantly higher than in normal tissues (p < 0.0001). The mRNA of the 3 HOXA genes was downregulated in early tumor stages due to hypermethylation of CpG islands adjacent to the promoters of the genes. In addition, hypermethylation of HOXA5 and HOXA6 mainly occurred in patients < 60 years old and with MSI-L, MSS, CIMP.L and non-CIMP tumors. Together, this suggests that epigenetic silencing of 3 adjacent HOXA genes may be an important event in the progression of colorectal cancer.

Clinical Challenges Associated with Universal Screening for Lynch Syndrome-Associated Endometrial Cancer.

Universal testing for Lynch syndrome is now a routine component of the diagnostic work-up of endometrial cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to identify prospectively the barriers to universal screening based on a tissue testing approach [microsatellite instability (MSI) analysis, IHC for DNA mismatch repair proteins, and MLH1 methylation analysis]. Endometrial carcinoma patients (n = 213) prospectively underwent microsatellite instability and IHC testing for expression of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins. Patients with low (MSI-L) or high (MSI-H) levels of tumor MSI or immunohistochemical loss of MLH1 (and absent MLH1 methylation), MSH2, MSH6, or PMS2 were referred to a genetic counselor for consideration of germline testing. Six discordances (3.1% of tested cases) between IHC and MSI were identified. Half of these exhibited heterogeneous immunohistochemical loss of MLH1/PMS2 and were microsatellite stable (MSS). Of the remaining cases, one was MSS with immunohistochemical loss of MSH6, one was MSS with immunohistochemical loss of MLH1/PMS2 and absent MLH1 promoter methylation, and one was MSI-H with intact expression of DNA MMR proteins. Four patients had MSI-L tumors with intact immunohistochemical protein expression; the clinical significance of MSI-L in endometrial cancer is unclear. Eight patients did not have germline mutations despite tissue testing suggesting Lynch syndrome. Including cases with insufficient tissue for testing and patients declining tissue or germline testing, we encountered significant barriers to universal screening in 13.6% of screened patients (29/213) that preclude designation of a tumor as sporadic or hereditary. Cancer Prev Res; 10(2); 108-15. ©2016 AACR.

Elevated Microsatellite Alterations at Selected Tetranucleotide Repeats (EMAST) and Microsatellite Instability in Patients with Colorectal Cancer and Its Clinical Features.

Recently, a different type of microsatellite instability (MSI) instability designated 'elevated microsatellite alterations at selected tetranucleotide repeats' (EMAST) has been reported in several neoplasms, but its clinical implications remain unclear. We aimed to determine the relationships among EMAST, MSI and clinicopathologic characteristics, including oncologic outcomes, in colorectal cancer (CRC). We evaluated 100 sporadic CRC cases subjected to surgery using five markers (MYCL1, D9S242, D20S85, D8S321, and D20S82) for EMAST and the Bethesda panel for MSI status. Immunohistochemical detection of hMSH3, c-erbB2, EGFR and thymidylate synthase was performed. Clinical characteristics and prognostic relevance were assessed. We identified 22 EMAST-positive tumors (22.0%) and 32 MSI-high (MSI-H) tumors (32.0%). EMAST was more frequent in colon cancer than rectal cancer (p=0.033), and associated with MSI-H phenotype (p<0.001), low expression of hMSH3 (p=0.004), and overexpression of thymidylate synthase (p=0.006). Among the 38 MSI-L tumors, only one (4.5%) showed EMAST. Long-term oncologic results in terms of overall and disease-free survival were similar between EMAST and non-EMAST tumors. EMAST is more closely related to MSI-H than MSI-L or MSS status. The clinical and molecular characteristics of EMAST were distinct in terms of tumor location, thymidylate synthase expression, MSI status and hMSH3 expression. Our preliminary findings support the utility of EMAST as a new potential classifier in CRC.

Low Level of Microsatellite Instability Correlates with Poor Clinical Prognosis in Stage II Colorectal Cancer Patients.

The influence of microsatellite instability (MSI) on the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) requires more investigation. We assessed the role of MSI status in survival of individuals diagnosed with primary colorectal cancer. In this retrospective cross-sectional study the MSI status was determined in 158 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumors and their matched normal tissues from patients who underwent curative surgery. Cox proportional hazard modeling was performed to assess the clinical prognostic significance. In this study we found that MSI-H tumors were predominantly located in the colon versus rectum (p = 0.03), associated with poorer differentiation (p = 0.003) and TNM stage II/III of tumors (p = 0.02). In CRC patients with stage II, MSI-L cases showed significantly poorer survival compared with patients who had MSI-H or MSS tumors (p = 0.04). This study indicates that MSI-L tumors correlate with poorer clinical outcome in patients with stage II tumors (p = 0.04) or in tumors located in the colon (p = 0.02). MSI-L characterizes a distinct subgroup of CRC patients who have a poorer outcome. This study suggests that MSI status in CRC, as a clinical prognostic marker, is dependent on other factors, such as tumor stage and location.

Multivariate analysis as a method for evaluating the pathogenicity of novel genetic MLH1 variants in patients with colorectal cancer and microsatellite instability.

Loss of function of mismatch repair (MMR) genes, mainly MLH1 and MSH2, manifests as high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI) that occurs in >90% of carcinomas in patients with Lynch syndrome (LS). The MSI-high status has also been described in sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) associated with BRAF gene mutation (V600E); this mutation was not present in LS-associated cancers. The present study performed MSI analysis on 39 CRC patients selected according to Bethesda guidelines, and BRAF V600E genotyping was performed in 26 cases classified as MSI-high or MSI-low (15 MSI-H and 11 MSI-L). These 26 patients were then screened for MLH1 and MSH2 germ-line mutations. Germ-line mutations in these genes were detected in 11/15 patients with MSI-H tumors (73%) and in 1/11 patients with MSI-L tumors (9%). Overall, 11 germ-line mutations in 12/26 analyzed patients (46%) in these genes were identified. Two of these mutations are novel genetic MLH1 variants not previously described in the literature, c.438A>G and c.1844T>C. A combination of computational approaches, co-segregation analysis and RNA assay suggested that these novel mutations, silent and missense, respectively, were probably pathogenic. The findings of the present study further emphasized the requirement for genetic testing in patients with a risk for hereditary CRC and has broadened the spectrum of known mutations of the MLH1 gene.

Molecular analysis of Iranian colorectal cancer patients at risk for Lynch syndrome: a new molecular, clinicopathological feature.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) and mismatch repair (MMR) gene expression present a hallmark mutational signature of Lynch syndrome as a common hereditary cancer predisposing condition. Since there is not enough data of molecular and clinicopathological aspects of the disease in Iranian populations, this article is a new description in Central Iran. It is a descriptive analytical study in which we screened 1659 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients based on early-onset disease and Amsterdam II criteria during 14 years (2000-2013). MSI testing was applied through a commercial kit evaluating five mononucleotide markers (BAT-25, BAT-26, MON0-27, NR-21, and NR-24) using a fluorescent multiplex PCR method. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was set up to detect expression of four mismatch repair (MMR) genes including MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2. SPSS 16 software was used to analyze the data. Overall, 31 of 45 screened at-risk families were eventually included to MSI testing of which 9/31 patients (∼29 %) showed MSI in their tumor tissues including 6 (19.4 %) MSI-H (high). BAT-26 was the most instable marker with instability in 7/31 MSI tumors (22.6 %). IHC-MMR staining was absent in 7/31 probands (22.6 %) of which in 4 cases, both MSH2/MSH6 (57.1 %) and, in 2 cases, both MLH1/PMS2 showed deficiency (28.6 %), and just in one case, MSH6 was defective (14.3 %). IHC-MMR was absent in all 6 MSI-H tumors while none of 3 MSI-L tumors were MMR-deficient. Just single MSH6-defective tumor showed MSS state. The frequency of CRC among MMR-deficient and MMR-proficient families was 67.5 and 27.9 %, respectively. The most common extracolonic cancer among both MMR-deficient and MMR-proficient groups was stomach, respectively, with 26.7 and 16.5 %. A different molecular and clinicopathological phenotype of tumors in CRC Iranian patients at risk for Lynch syndrome could suggest some new molecular mechanisms about which more evaluations are necessary.

Abstract 4673: ARID1A expression and its relation with microsatellite instability and clinicopathological characteristics in colorectal and gastric cancers of Korean patients

Abstract AT-rich interactive domain-containing protein 1A (ARID1A) is a subunit of the SWI-SNF chromatin-remodeling complex, which is considered to perform a tumor suppressor function. Somatic mutations of ARID1A were reported to be detected in about 50% of colorectal cancer (CRC), but loss of expression seems vary according to tissue type and microsatellite instability (MSI) status. So, we designed this study to identify the frequency of loss of ARID1A expression and its clinical relevance in CRC and gastric cancer (GC) of Korean patients. Immunohistochemistry for ARID1A was performed using tissue microarray blocks containing 197 CRCs and 275 SCs, and paired normal mucosa. Data on MSI status were available in 178 of 197 CRCs and 233 of 275 GCs. Clinicopathological data of the patients were collected and analyzed. We identified 12 (12/197, 6.1%) CRCs showing loss of ARID1A expression, all of which were microsatellite stable. In 178 CRCs with identified MSI status, 3 (1.7%) MSI-H and 6 (3.4%) MSI-L tumors showed normal expression of ARID1A, contrary to MSS tumors (ARID1A loss: 10/169, 5.9%). Among GCs, 8.0% (22/275) showed loss of ARID1A expression and 6.4% (15/233) were MSI-H. Tumors with loss of ARID1A expression accounted for 13.3% (2/13) of GCs with MSI-H whereas 5.0% (11/207) of GCs with MSS. However, there was no association between ARID1A expression and MSI status in both CRCs (p=0.754) and SCs (p=0.200). Expression of ARID1A in paired normal mucosal epithelial cells was normal in all patients. Clinicopathological factors were not associated with ARID1A expression in both cancers except that CRCs with loss of ARID1A expression showed less frequent lymphatic invasion than those with normal expression (25.0% vs. 69.0%, p=0.003). There was no association between ARID1A expression and 3-year disease-free survival or 5-year overall survival in both cancers. In this study population, loss of ARID1A expression was uncommon and not relevant to MSI-H tumors. Its clinical implication for the prognosis of CRC and GC patients seems to need further studies with more accumulated data. Citation Format: Soo Young Lee, Duck-Woo Kim, Hye Seung Lee, Myong Hoon Ihn, Heung-Kwon Oh, Sung-Bum Kang. ARID1A expression and its relation with microsatellite instability and clinicopathological characteristics in colorectal and gastric cancers of Korean patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4673. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4673

Colorectal cancer with high-frequency microsatellite instability expresses high-level thymidine phosphorylase but not dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase

Recent clinical studies have reported that microsatellite instability (MSI) colorectal cancers show a high sensitivity to 5-FU, but these reports are contradictory to findings from in vitro analyses. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between MSI phenotypes and the expression of 5-FU metabolic enzymes in human colorectal cancer specimens. MSI phenotypes in 174 sporadic colorectal carcinomas were determined and grouped into the following three categories based on the Bethesda guidelines: high-frequency MSI (MSI-H), low-frequency MSI (MSI-L), and stable microsatellite (MSS). The expressions of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) in tumor specimens were measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assays. The ratio of TP to DPD expression (TP/DPD ratio) was calculated for each tumor. These three factors were compared with regard to MSI phenotypes by non-parametric and logistic regression analyses using cut-off values at their medians. MSI-L tumors were excluded from statistical analyses. Thirteen tumors were classified as MSI-H, 8 tumors as MSI-L, and 153 tumors as MSS. DPD expression did not differ between MSI-H tumors and MSS tumors. TP expression and the TP/DPD ratio were significantly higher in MSI-H tumors than in MSS tumors [TP, 160.1± 104.0 vs 97.3 ± 53.7 (Units/mg protein) (P=0.009); TP/DPD ratio, 3.04 ± 1.62 vs 2.07 ± 1.08, (P=0.016)]. These differences were also significant in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, these data suggest that 5-FU catabolic activity in cancer tissue does not differ between MSI-H and MSS tumors. However, 5-FU anabolic activity in cancer tissue is higher in MSI-H than in MSS colorectal carcinomas.

Microsatellite instability testing in Korean patients with colorectal cancer

Microsatellite instability (MSI) testing is useful for identifying patients with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and detecting sporadic colorectal cancer that develops through replication error pathways. A pentaplex panel is recommended by the National Cancer Institute for MSI testing, but simplified mononucleotide panels and immunohistochemistry of mismatch repair proteins are widely employed for convenience. This study was to evaluate the MSI status of colorectal cancer in Korean patients. This study included 1,435 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma subjected to surgical resection. The pentaplex Bethesda panel was used for MSI testing. Seventy nine (5.5%) carcinomas were classified as MSI-high (MSI-H) and 95 (6.6%) as MSI-low (MSI-L). BAT-26 and BAT-25 were unstable in 73 and 75 of 79 MSI-H carcinomas, respectively. With the panel comprising these 2 mononucleotide markers, 72 carcinomas were diagnosed as MSI-H, compared to the Bethesda panel data (72/79, 91.1%). In contrast, BAT-26 or BAT-25 were unstable in only 7 (7.4%) of the 95 MSI-L tumors. In the panel with 2 dinucleotide markers, D17250 linked to p53 and D2S123 to hMSH2, detection rates were 89.9% (71/79) for MSI-H and 80.0% (76/95) for MSI-L carcinomas, compared to the Bethesda panel. Moreover, we compared the frequency of MSI tumor in our patients with those reported previously from Western countries. In conclusion, the frequency of MSI-H appears lower in colorectal cancer patients in Korea. A simplified panel for MSI testing with BAT-26 and BAT-25 seems not effective for the accurate evaluation of MSI status, particularly in MSI-L colorectal carcinomas, in our patients.

T2089 Genetic Instability Caused By Loss of Msh3 in Human Colorectal Cancer; the Molecular Basis of MSI-L and Emast Tumors

T2089 Genetic Instability Caused By Loss of Msh3 in Human Colorectal Cancer; the Molecular Basis of MSI-L and Emast Tumors

Microsatellite Instability Did Not Predict Individual Survival in Sporadic Stage II and III Rectal Cancer Patients

Objectives: Tumors with high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-H) have unique biological behavior and the predictive role of microsatellite instability (MSI) status on survival of colorectal cancer is still debated. The prognostic significance of MSI status in sporadic stage II and III rectal cancer patients needs to be more precisely defined. So we investigated the relationship between MSI status and clinicopathological features and prognosis in these patients. Methods: DNAs from fresh-frozen paired samples of tumors and corresponding normal tissue from 128 stage II and III rectal cancer patients were analyzed for MSI by PCR amplification using markers recommended by a National Cancer Institute workshop on MSI. To assess prognostic significance, Cox proportional hazards modeling was used. Results: Twelve (9.3%) tumors in our study were MSI-H, 28 (21.9%) were low-frequency MSI (MSI-L) and 88 (68.8%) were microsatellite stable (MSS). Most of the MSI-H tumors compared with MSI-L and MSS tumors were found in female patients (p = 0.031), had mucinous histology (p = 0.023), high grade of differentiation (p = 0.002) and high level of preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (p = 0.005). Rectal cancer patients with MSI-H did not show a better clinical outcome than those with MSI-L/MSS, neither in all cases (p = 0.986) nor in stage II and stage III disease analyzed separately (p = 0.705 and p = 0.664, respectively). Conclusions: Data provided here demonstrated there was high incidence of MSI-H and MSI was not a prognostic factor in sporadic stage II and III rectal cancers from the Chinese Han population included in this study. Tumor stage is more suitable than MSI status for prediction of individual survival in sporadic stage II and III rectal cancer patients.

MLH1 -93G&gt;A Promoter Polymorphism and the Risk of Microsatellite-Unstable Colorectal Cancer

Although up to 30% of patients with colorectal cancer have a positive family history of colorectal neoplasia, few colorectal cancers can be explained by mutations in high-penetrance genes. We investigated whether polymorphisms in DNA mismatch repair genes are associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. We genotyped 929 case patients and 1098 control subjects from Ontario and 430 case patients and 275 control subjects from Newfoundland and Labrador for five polymorphisms in the mismatch repair genes MLH1 and MSH2 with the fluorogenic 5' nuclease assay. Tumor microsatellite instability (MSI) was determined with a polymerase chain reaction-based method; MSI status was assigned as high (MSI-H, > or = 30% unstable markers among all markers tested), low (MSI-L, <30% markers unstable), or stable (MSS, no unstable markers). We used unconditional logistic regression to evaluate the association between each polymorphism and colorectal cancer after adjusting for age and sex. The associations between polymorphisms and tumor clinicopathologic features were evaluated with a Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's exact test. All statistical tests were two-sided. We observed strong associations between the MLH1 -93G>A polymorphism and MSI-H tumors among case patients from Ontario (P = .001) and Newfoundland (P = .003). When compared with the control populations, homozygosity for the MLH1 -93G>A variant allele was associated with MSI-H tumors among case patients in Ontario (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 3.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.65 to 6.30) and in Newfoundland (OR = 8.88, 95% CI = 2.33 to 33.9), as was heterozygosity among case patients in Ontario (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.20 to 2.83) and in Newfoundland (OR = 2.56, 95% CI = 1.14 to 5.75). Genotype frequencies were similar among case patients with MSS and MSI-L tumors and control subjects, and the majority of homozygous variant carriers had MSS tumors. Among case patients from Ontario, an association between the MLH1 -93G>A polymorphism and a strong family history of colorectal cancer (for Amsterdam criteria I and II, P = .004 and P = .02, respectively) was observed. In two patient populations, the MLH1 -93G>A polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of MSI-H colorectal cancer.

Do MSI-L Sporadic Colorectal Tumors Develop Through “Mild Mutator Pathway”?

The mutator pathway implied in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) is characterized by microsatellite instability (MSI). MSI tumors can be subdivided according to the level of instability: MSI-H (high), MSI-L (low) or stable MSS. MSI-H CRC displays a well described distinct phenotype, but the true biologic significance of MSI-L is still uncertain. The objective of this study was to further clarify if the MSI-L phenotype could reflect a distinct pathway of tumor development with a different clinical behavior. We analyzed the clinicopathological and genetic variables of 156 patients with sporadic CRC in relation with the level of MSI of the tumors. We have found that MSI-L tumors are someway in the middle of MSI-H and MSS CRC, as they share some features with each of the other 2 subgroups: left side location, lower incidence of LOH at MSH2 as MSS and Dukes B (stage II TNM) like MSI-H. Moreover, MSI-L tumors show higher incidence of KRAS mutations. We believe that MSI-L tumors could be considered a distinct phenotype that develops through a "mild mutator pathway."

Microsatellite Instability Testing in Colorectal Carcinoma: Choice of Markers Affects Sensitivity of Detection of Mismatch Repair–Deficient Tumors

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is found in 10% to 15% of sporadic colorectal tumors and is usually caused by defects in DNA mismatch repair (MMR). In 1997, a panel of microsatellite markers including mononucleotide and dinucleotide repeats was recommended by a National Cancer Institute workshop on MSI. We investigated the relationship between instability of these markers and MMR protein expression in a cohort of sporadic colorectal cancer patients. Paraffin sections of normal and tumor tissue from 262 colorectal cancer patients were examined for MSI status by PCR amplification and for MMR protein expression using antibodies against hMLH1, hPMS2, hMSH2, and hMSH6. Twenty-six (10%) of the patients studied had tumors with a high level of MSI (MSI-H). The frequencies of MSI were the same in African-American and Caucasian patients. Each of the MSI-H tumors had mutations in both mononucleotide and dinucleotide repeats and had loss of MMR protein expression, as did two tumors that had low levels of MSI (MSI-L). These two MSI-L tumors exhibited mutations in mononucleotide repeats only, whereas eight of the other nine MSI-L tumors had mutations in just a single dinucleotide repeat. There was not a statistically significant difference in outcomes between patients whose tumors were MMR-positive or MMR-negative, although there was a slight trend toward improved survival among those with MMR-deficient tumors. The choice of microsatellite markers is important for MSI testing. Examination of mononucleotide repeats is sufficient for detection of tumors with MMR defects, whereas instability only in dinucleotides is characteristic of MSI-L/MMR-positive tumors.

MUC Gene Abnormalities in Sporadic and Hereditary Mucinous Colon Cancers with Microsatellite Instability

Aim of this study was verifying whether mucin producing colon cancers (CRCs) could develop through a molecular pathway involving microsatellite instability (MSI) and MUC gene alterations. Out of 49 CRCs expressing variable amounts of mucin, 22 (44.9%) were MSI-H and 5 (10.2%) were MSI-L. MUC genes were analyzed by Southern blotting and extra bands were evident in the Variable Number Tandem Repetition (VNTR) regions of MUC2 (5 cases) and MUC5AC (2 cases), but not MUC1 and MUC4 genes. Since the somatic VNTR abnormalities were detected in 6 MSI-H and in 1 MSI-L tumors, they seem to be peculiar of mismatch repair defective CRCs. Our finding suggests that alteration and/or loss of structurally normal MUC genes may be an important step in the neoplastic molecular pathway of a subset of CRCs and that mutations involving VNTR repetitive sequences may exist in MSI tumors as a direct and/or indirect consequence of an inefficient MMR system.

High Frequency of Microsatellite Instability in Intestinal-type Gastric Cancer in Korean Patients

BackgroundAlthough there have been some reports on microsatellite alterations in gastric cancer, findings are inconsistent regarding the associations between histological classification and microsatellite instability (MSI). In the present study, we attempted to determine whether Lauren's histological subtypes are related with MSI status.MethodsParaffin-embedded tissue samples from 14 diffuse-type and 14 intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinomas were matched up according to patient gender and age. Mononucleotide markers (BAT25 and BAT26) and dinucleotide markers (D2S123, D5S346, and D17S250) were used for MSI analyses. Microsatellite genotypes were categorized in terms of high MSI incidence (MSI-H, >30% positive marker) or low MSI incidence (MSI-L, <30% positive marker). Losses of hMLH1 and hMSH2 protein expression were immunohistochemically studied.ResultsMSI-H was observed in 11 cases (78%) of the 14 intestinal-type cases as compared to 3 (21%) of the 14 diffuse-type cases (p=0.007). In MSI-H tumors, 10 cases (71%) showed losses of hMLH1 protein expression, while 2 cases (14%) in MSI-L tumors showed losses of hMLH1 protein expression (p=0.006).ConclusionMSI-H tumors are more frequently found in intestinal-type gastric cancer, which suggests the possibility that there are different pathogenic pathways in gastric carcinogenesis according to histologic type.