State of the art: Targeting microsatellite instability in gastrointestinal cancers

Justin Mencel; Anneke Alves; Vasileios Angelis; Marco Gerlinger; Naureen Starling

doi:10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104387

State of the art: Targeting microsatellite instability in gastrointestinal cancers

Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2024 May 10:199:104387. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104387. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Justin Mencel¹, Anneke Alves¹, Vasileios Angelis¹, Marco Gerlinger¹, Naureen Starling²

Affiliations

¹ Gastrointestinal and Lymphoma Unit, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation, London, United Kingdom.
² Gastrointestinal and Lymphoma Unit, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: naureen.starling@rmh.nhs.uk.

PMID: 38734279
DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104387

Abstract

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency and the associated microsatellite instability (MSI) phenotype has become a subject of enormous interest in recent years due to the demonstrated efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in advanced tumours. Assessing MSI in patients with gastrointestinal tract (GI) cancers is useful to exclude Lynch syndrome, but also to predict benefit for ICI. Following review of the relevant literature, this review article aims to outline the clinicopathologic spectrum of MSI and mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) in the GI tract, hepatobiliary system and pancreas and discuss the therapeutic consideration in this disease.

Keywords: DNA mismatch repair; Gastrointestinal cancers; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Lynch, syndrome; Microsatellite instability.

Publication types

Review