Microsatellite instability in hematological malignancies

The replication error (RER+) phenotype, characterized by microsatellite instability (MSI) has been recently related to mutations of genes involved in DNA mismatch repair pathway. These genetic alterations were first described in hereditary non polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). We examined 44 patients with hematological malignancies (27 AML, 9 MDS, 2 CML-BP and 6 T-ALL) for evidence of MSI. Twenty seven percent of our patients showed differences for only one marker. In four cases (9.1%) MSI was observed in multiple markers and these cases were described as RER+ phenotype. Presented data suggest that this phenomenon may play a role in at least a subset of patients with hematological malignancies.