MSI-L/EMAST is a predictive biomarker for metastasis in colorectal cancer patients

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer (CRC). The biological significance of MSI-low (MSI-L) phenotype and its differences with microsatellite stable (MSS) phenotype remains unclear. The aim of this study is indicating the role of mononucleotide repeat in identifying MSI-L and revealing the association of MSI-L with elevated microsatellite alterations at selected tetranucleotide repeats (EMAST) and oncologic outcome in CRC patients.

MSI and EMAST status were analyzed using three quasimonomorphic panel (BAT-25, BAT-26, and NR-27) and five tetranucleotide repeats (D20S82, D20S85, D9S242, D8S321, and MYCL1), respectively, by capillary electrophoresis method without the need to fluorescent primers. The associations of MSI status with clinicopathological features, EMAST status, metastasis, and overall survival (OS) were investigated.

Among 159 CRC patient 22.0% were MSI-H, 40.3% were MSS, 37.7% were MSI-L, and 41.5% showed EMAST + phenotype. MSI-L were associated with advanced stages, EMAST⁺ tumors and worse OS ( p ≤ 0.001). Metastasis was relatively common in MSI-L/EMAST ⁺ CRCs and BAT-25 were the most unstable marker in these tumors.

MSI-L tumors have different clinicopathological features from MSS and MSI-H tumors. The MSI-L phenotype is a worse prognostic biomarker in CRC and when accompanied by EMAST could be a predictor for metastasis.