Familial aggregation of gastric cancer with microsatellite instability*^*

* Presented during European Society of Surgical Oncology meeting September 2016 – poster presentation.

Abstract

Background: Microsatellite instability (MSI) is currently a new molecular subtype of gastric cancer (GC). About 90% of GC cases appear sporadically. MSI seems to be responsible for both sporadic and familial GC. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of MSI in GC with familial history of GC.

Methods: The MSI analysis was conducted using five quasi-monomorphic mononucleotide repeats: BAT-26, BAT-25, NR-24, NR-21 and NR-27. From our database, we analyzed 457 patients in terms of cancer history across family members, particularly focusing on GC.

Results: MSI status in patients without familial history of GC was present in 22.1% of the cases, whereas in the patients with familial history of GC it was present in 28% of the cases (p = 0.220). For 1st or 2nd degree family members with GC, MSI was observed in 27.6% and in 30.8%, respectively (p = 0.812). MSI was observed in hereditary gastric cancer (HGC) in 33.3% and in familial gastric cancer (FGC) in 30%. No difference in survival rates was observed between the analyzed groups.

Conclusions: In our publication, we could not find any link between familial background and the MSI status in GC patients. More detailed molecular and genetic analysis of subgroups of these patients is required.

Keywords:

• Stomach cancer
• family history
• microsatellite instability
• mismatch repair genes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Istituto Toscano Tumori (ITT) #1 under grant entitled Gene expression profiles and therapy of gastric cancer (Grant No. ITT-2007); and European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) #2, GastricGlycoExplorer under grant agreement n° [316929] (Karol Polom, Franco Roviello).