Simplified identification of Lynch syndrome: a prospective, multicenter study.

BACKGROUND

Recommended strategies to screen for Lynch syndrome in colorectal cancer are not applied in daily practice and most of Lynch cases remain undiagnosed.

AIMS

We investigated in routine conditions a strategy that uses simplified clinical criteria plus detection of MisMatch Repair deficiency in tumours to identify Lynch carriers.

METHODS

Colorectal cancer patients that met at least one of three clinical criteria were included: (1) colorectal cancer before 50 years, (2) personal history of colorectal or endometrial cancer, (3) first-degree relative history of colorectal or endometrial cancer. All tumours underwent an MisMatch Repair test combining microsatellite instability analysis and MisMatch Repair immunohistochemistry. Patients with an MisMatch Repair-deficient tumour were offered germline testing.

RESULTS

Of the 307 patients fulfilling the clinical criteria, 46 (15%) had a MisMatch Repair-deficient tumour. Amongst them 27 were identified as Lynch carriers (20 with germline mutation: 12 MLH1, 7 MSH2, 1 MSH6; 7 highly suspected cases despite failure of genetic testing). The simplified clinical criteria selected a population whose MisMatch Repair-deficient status was highly predictive (59%) of Lynch syndrome.

CONCLUSION

This bio-clinical strategy based on simplified clinical criteria combined with an MisMatch Repair test efficiently detected LS cases and is easy to use in clinical practice, outside expert centres.