full access 2008: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Ovarian Cancers: Estimation of Microsatellite-High Frequency and Characterization of Mismatch Repair Deficient Tumor Histology

Translational Relevance:

This systematic review and meta-analysis estimates the frequency of high-level microsatellite instability (MSI-H) in unselected ovarian cancers as 12%, suggesting that defects in the mismatch repair (MMR) pathway account for a relatively large proportion of ovarian cancers. In the era of personalized medicine, MSI-H status may provide valuable etiologic and diagnostic information, which may eventually be of prognostic and therapeutic utility, as seen in MSI-H colorectal cancers.

The results of this meta-analysis also reveal an overrepresentation of nonserous histologies in MMR-deficient tumors. The clinical relevance of these findings is that they may increase clinical awareness of MMR-deficient tumors; such awareness may aid in the identification of this subtype of tumors, having potential implications for medical management.