OBJECTIVE Lynch syndrome is a hereditary cancer syndrome that increases the risks of colorectal and gynecologic malignancies such as endometrial and ovarian cancer. Studies have shown that mutations in mismatch repair genes (MSH2, MSH6, and MLH1) are associated with Lynch syndrome. The aim of our study was to estimate the value of MSH2, MSH6, and MLH1 immunohistochemistry based on family histor...

Lynch syndrome is an autosomal dominant cancer predisposition syndrome which is caused by a germline mutation in one of four genes, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 or PMS2. Individuals with a germline mutation in one of these genes are at increased lifetime risk of colon, endometrial, ovarian, small intestine, renal pelvis and ureter. Less commonly patients may develop biliary tract cancers, gastric and pancr...

DNA mismatch repair genes have been reported to play a role in the pathogenesis of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). Mutations of DNA mismatch repair genes have accounted for 90% of HNPCC-related colon and endometrial tumors. These mutations have been associated with microsatellite instability (MIN). Because endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common extracolonic malignancy ass...

Recently, we identified 3' end deletions in the EPCAM gene as a novel cause of Lynch syndrome. These truncating EPCAM deletions cause allele-specific epigenetic silencing of the neighboring DNA mismatch repair gene MSH2 in tissues expressing EPCAM. Here we screened a cohort of unexplained Lynch-like families for the presence of EPCAM deletions. We identified 27 novel independent MSH2-deficient ...

PURPOSE Lynch syndrome is linked to germline mutations in mismatch repair genes. We analyzed the genotype-phenotype correlations in the largest cohort so far reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS Following standard algorithms, we identified 281 of 574 unrelated families with deleterious germline mutations in MLH1 (n = 124) or MSH2 (n = 157). A total of 988 patients with 1,381 cancers were included i...

The msh6 mismatch repair gene of Schizosaccharomyces pombe was cloned, sequenced, and inactivated. Strains bearing all combinations of inactivated msh6, msh2, and swi4 (the S. pombe MSH3 ortholog) alleles were tested for their defects in mitotic and meiotic mismatch repair. Mitotic mutation rates were similarly increased in msh6 and msh2 mutants, both for reversion of a base-base substitution a...

BACKGROUND In patients with colorectal carcinoma, insertions or deletions of short sequences of DNA, a phenomenon called microsatellite instability, are observed. AIM To look for microsatellite instability and mutations of MLH1 and MSH2 gene mutations in patients with colorectal carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ten patients with sporadic colorectal carcinoma and 31 patients fulfilling criter...

Accelerated intestinal tumorigenesis is probable in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, a condition associated with germ line DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene defects, and is believed to be caused by rapid accumulation of replication errors in critical genes, such as the APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) tumor suppressor gene. To study the potential contribution of MMR genes to accelerated ...

BACKGROUND Some tumour suppressor genes (BRCA2) and mismatch repair genes (MSH2, MLH1) are correlated with an increased risk for male breast cancer. CASE REPORT Our patient developed secondary breast cancer after the treatment for Hodgkin's disease in childhood. DNA was isolated from the patients' blood and screened for mutations, polymorphisms and variants in BRCA1, BRCA2, p53, CDKN2A, MLH1 ...