Risk of colorectal and endometrial cancers in EPCAM deletion-positive Lynch syndrome: a cohort study

Marlies J. E. Kempers, Roland P. Kuiper, Charlotte W. Ockeloen, Pierre O. Chappuis, Pierre Hutter, Nils Rahner, Hans K. Schackert, Verena Steinke, Elke Holinski-Feder, Monika Morak, Matthias Kloor, Reinhard Buettner, Eugene T. P. Verwiel, J. Han van Krieken, Iris D. Nagtegaal, Monique Goossens, Rachel S. van der Post, Renee C. Niessen, Rolf H. Sijmons, Irma KluijtFrans B. L. Hogervorst, Edward M. Leter, Johan J. P. Gille, Cora M. Aalfs, Egbert J. W. Redeker, Frederik J. Hes, Carli M. J. Tops, Bernadette P. M. van Nesselrooij, Marielle E. van Gijn, Encarna B. Gomez Garcia, Diana M. Eccles, David J. Bunyan, Sapna Syngal, Elena M. Stoffel, Julie O. Culver, Melanie R. Palomares, Tracy Graham, Lea Velsher, Janos Papp, Edith Olah, Tsun L. Chan, Suet Y. Leung, Ad Geurts van Kessel, Lambertus A. L. M. Kiemeney, Nicoline Hoogerbrugge, Marjolijn J. L. Ligtenberg*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Background Lynch syndrome is caused by germline mutations in MSH2, MLH1, MSH6, and PMS2 mismatch-repair genes and leads to a high risk of colorectal and endometrial cancer. We previously showed that constitutional 3' end deletions of EPCAM can cause Lynch syndrome through epigenetic silencing of MSH2 in EPCAM-expressing tissues, resulting in tissue-specific MSH2 deficiency. We aim to establish the risk of cancer associated with such EPCAM deletions.

Methods We obtained clinical data for 194 carriers of a 3' end EPCAM deletion from 41 families known to us at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands and compared cancer risk with data from a previously described cohort of 473 carriers from 91 families with mutations in MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, or a combined EPCAM MSH2 deletion.

Findings 93 of the 194 EPCAM deletion carriers were diagnosed with colorectal cancer; three of the 92 women with EPCAM deletions were diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Carriers of an EPCAM deletion had a 75% (95% CI 65-85) cumulative risk of colorectal cancer before the age of 70 years (mean age at diagnosis 43 years [SD 12]), which did not differ significantly from that of carriers of combined EPCAM MSH2 deletion (69% [95% CI 47-91], p=0.8609) or mutations in MSH2 (77% [64-90], p=0.5892) or MLH1 (79% [68-90], p=0.5492), but was higher than noted for carriers of MSH6 mutation (50% [38-62], p

Interpretation EPCAM deletion carriers have a high risk of colorectal cancer; only those with deletions extending close to the MSH2 promoter have an increased risk of endometrial cancer. These results underscore the effect of mosaic MSH2 deficiency, leading to variable cancer risks, and could form the basis of an optimised protocol for the recognition and targeted prevention of cancer in EPCAM deletion carriers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)49-55
Number of pages7
JournalLancet Oncology
Volume12
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan-2011

Keywords

  • REPAIR GENE HMSH2
  • MUTATION CARRIERS
  • STEM-CELLS
  • MSH2
  • FAMILIES
  • HYPERMETHYLATION
  • SURVEILLANCE
  • METHYLATION
  • MANAGEMENT
  • TACSTD1

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