Microsatellite Instability in Colorectal Cancer

My husband (Stage II)  was found to have Microsatellite Instability, a genetic defect.  Colon cancer patients with Microsatellite Instability have a slightly better prognosis than colorectal tumors without MSI and do not have the same response to chemotherapeutics. 

This is relatively new information and means that genetic testing is vital for colon cancer patients.

I will try to attach the research article:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3037515/

You must cut and paste because I cannot access the embedded link function.

Regards, Elainehd

Comments

  • zx10guy
    zx10guy Member Posts: 273 Member
    I just posted a response to

    I just posted a response to another poster stating they're MSS.

    The significance with being MSI-H is that your husband has lots of options with immunotherapy.  So if something happens where he needs to undergo treatment, he's in a much better position than the vast majority of us.

  • elainehd
    elainehd Member Posts: 9
    Dear zx10guy

    Yes, and this feels quite odd because his cancer is among the 1% of the most aggressive adenocarcinomas, and YET because he is at Stage II, and has this genetic defect, there is a bit of a bright spot.

    This has been a roller coaster two weeks.  After the original January 3 surgery there were 27 'clean' lymph nodes, we thought he was done with cancer.

    Then the terrible news, a month later, that his cancer had invaded the wall of the colon and was 'at large' in his abdoman.  And his cancer is mucinous, signet ring features, plus, poorly differentiated, with lymphovascular invasion, all pointing to a high risk feature, with increasing risk of distant metastases.

    THEN, the MSI-H information from his oncologist, 5 days later.  

    So now it is watch and wait.  I can manage that.

    You are all so wonderful, and I hope for the veryy best for each of you.

    Just knowing you are here is a great relief.

    Regards, Elainehd

     

  • NewHere
    NewHere Member Posts: 1,427 Member
    I Am MSS

    As you have found and ZX mentioned, MSI would be better for where much of the immunotherapy drugs out there and trials.  MSS still has a way to go.

    Made the like active for you.  What you should do is type text, then highlight text and click the link at the top, where you can put in URL

    image

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3037515/

    You can also make any text a link, so I can say click here and you can go see the publication