Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41555152›Full record

ArticleJournal of oral pathology & medicine : official publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology2026

No Evidence of Microsatellite Instability in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Non-Smokers and Non-Drinkers.

F J Mulder, T F B Gielgens, E J de Ruiter, R de Bree, M F C M van den Hout, B Kremer, S M Willems, E J M Speel

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Article in Journal of oral pathology & medicine : official publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

F J MulderDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, GROW-Research Institute for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9891-7957
T F B GielgensDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1774-6102
E J de RuiterDepartment of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
R de BreeDepartment of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7128-5814
M F C M van den HoutDepartment of Pathology, GROW-Research Institute for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
B KremerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
S M WillemsDepartment of Pathology and Medical Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
E J M SpeelDepartment of Pathology, GROW-Research Institute for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionWhile the prevalence of microsatellite instability (MSI) is low in the whole head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) population, it has been suggested to be more prominent in tumors of non-smokers. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine the presence of MSI in a cohort of well-defined HNSCC of non-smokers and non-drinkers (NSND).

methodsClinical characteristics and tumor tissue of 119 NSND with HNSCC were retrospectively collected and analyzed for MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6 protein expression on tissue microarrays (TMA). In case of negative staining for one of these mismatch repair proteins in the TMA cores, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was repeated on a whole slide section and additional molecular analyses were performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR).

resultsTwo cases showed dubious loss of MSH2 expression, one of these with concurrent dubious loss of MSH6 on the TMA. However, MSH2 and MSH6 expression was retained on whole slide sections and PCR and qPCR analyses did not show any mutations, compatible with a microsatellite stable result.

conclusionThis study shows no single case with MSI in the NSND subgroup of HNSCC. Although a deficient DNA mismatch repair system is a predictive biomarker for response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, we found no evidence to support routine analysis of MSI in HNSCC, also not in the subgroup of NSND.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Squamous CellHead and Neck NeoplasmsMicrosatellite InstabilitySquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAlcohol DrinkingDNA-Binding ProteinsFemaleHumansImmunohistochemistryMaleMiddle AgedMismatch Repair Endonuclease PMS2MutL Protein Homolog 1DNA-Binding ProteinsG-T mismatch-binding proteinMismatch Repair Endonuclease PMS2MSH2 protein, humanMutL Protein Homolog 1MutS Homolog 2 ProteinPMS2 protein, humanhead and neck cancerimmune checkpoint inhibitorsimmunohistochemistrymicrosatellite instabilitynon‐drinkersnon‐smokerspolymerase chain reaction

Identifiers

PMID41555152
PMCPMC13149765

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.