Ovarian cancer linked to Lynch syndrome typically presents as early-onset, non-serous epithelial tumors

Abstract

Objective: Heredity is a major cause of ovarian cancer and during recent years the contribution from germline mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutations linked to Lynch syndrome has gradually been recognized.

Methods: We characterized clinical features, tumor morphology and mismatch repair defects in all ovarian cancers identified in Swedish and Danish Lynch syndrome families.

Results: In total, 63 epithelial ovarian cancers developed at mean 48 (range 30-79) years of age with 47% being early stage (FIGO stage I). Histologically, endometrioid (35%) and clear cell (17%) tumors were overrepresented. The underlying MMR gene mutations in these families affected MSH2 in 49%, MSH6 in 33% and MLH1 in 17%. Immunohistochemical loss of the corresponding MMR protein was demonstrated in 33/36 (92%) tumors analyzed.

Conclusion: The combined data from our cohorts demonstrate that ovarian cancer associated with Lynch syndrome typically presents at young age as early-stage, non-serous tumors, which implicates that a family history of colorectal and endometrial cancer should be specifically considered in such cases.