Probleme der HNPCC-Diagnostik am Beispiel der molekularen Analyse von kolorektalen Adenomen — Ergebnisse einer Follow-up Studie

Adenomas are well established as precursors of colorectal cancer. In most cases the progression to malignancy is not a rapid process. However, in Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Carcinoma (HNPCC) an earlier onset of adenomas and a faster progression to cancer is well known. 122 known HNPCC patients were followed for five years to detect colorectal adenomas. The goal of the study was to determine whether microsatellite instability (MSI) can be identified at the premalignant stage. 36 patients were identified who had developed a total of 71 adenomas. The adenomas were analyzed for MSI and loss of mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression by immunohistochemistry.