Comparison of histopathologic and clinical characteristics of microsatellite instability in colorectal adenocarcinomas and its impact on survival

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers and a frequent cause of mortality and morbidity. In this study, we aimed to investigate the Mismatch Repair (MMR) gene products of colorectal adenocarcinomas by immunohistochemistry, to investigate the relationship between deficiency in MMR and clinicopathologic, histomorphologic, and molecular features, and to elucidate the carcinogenesis of colorectal carcinomas in our region. Our study included 224 cases diagnosed with colorectal carcinoma; at Dicle University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology, between 2008 and 2022. Primary antibodies MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 were used in the immunohistochemical study. In our study, a significant relationship was found between deficiency in MMR and tumour location, tumour size, distant metastasis, stromal ratio, and desmoplasia. As a result, we found that deficiency in MMR is generally associated with good prognostic features, but this may not be the case in all cases and may be influenced by some geographical characteristics.

Keywords:

• MLH1
• MSH2
• MSH6
• PMS2
• microsatellite instability

Authors’ contribution

All authors contributed significantly to the work and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. BT and UA made substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work. BT, ANK, and UA were involved in project management, literature search, data acquisition, interpretation, drafting, and reviewing of the manuscript. BT and UA were involved in visualization. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author [UA], upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.