Microsatellite instabilities in gastric cancer patients with multiple primary cancers

To answer whether microsatellite instability (MSI) can serve as a molecular marker for the risk-assessment of the development of multiple cancers, 26 tumors from 10 gastric cancer cases with multiple primary cancers were investigated. Six out of 10 cases revealed MSI in one or more cancer DNA. Significant statistical association was observed between MSI positive gastric cancer and cancer multiplicity (chi2 test, P<0.05). The complicated primary tumors in MSI-positive cases arose in colorectum, urogenital tract and ovary, which mimicked the tumor spectrum of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). On the other hand, most of the multiple cancers in MSI negative group were found synchronously and limited to the digestive organs. These observations suggest that MSI test on gastric cancer may be considered as a good marker for the assessment of multiple cancer development especially in the sites where tumors of HNPCC usually develop.