[Microsatellite instability : Review of methods and applications]

After introduction of the Bethesda microsatellite test panel demonstration of microsatellite instability (MSI) and/or loss of mismatch repair proteins (MMRD) was primarily used as a marker for cancer predisposition of Lynch syndrome (LS, previous: HNPCC). Nowadays MSI/MMRD has become an important biomarker to predict therapy response to checkpoint immunotherapies. MSI can be determined either by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technologies with or without specification of fragment sizes or next generation sequencing (NGS) methods. Depending on the individual tumor entities, these test methods are used differently. Currently, MSI/MMRD is a tumor biomarker which covers a broad spectrum of indications in tumor pathology, especially in colorectal, endometrial and gastric cancer. In advanced carcinomas, MSI is an established predictor of therapy response to checkpoint-directed immunotherapies.