Assessing molecular subtypes of gastric cancer: microsatellite unstable and Epstein-Barr virus subtypes. Methods for detection and clinical and pathological implications.

Background The molecular classification of gastric cancer recognises two subtypes prone to immune checkpoint blockade: the microsatellite unstable and the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related tumours. We aim to assess the concordance between immunohistochemistry and PCR for microsatellite status evaluation, and explore the value of microsatellite instability (MSI) and EBV as predictive survival factors. Material and methods We collected 246 consecutively diagnosed gastric cancer cases in all stages and evaluated the microsatellite status using immunohistochemistry for mismatched repair (MMR) proteins and PCR. EBV expression was studied through in situ hybridisation. Results Forty-five (18%) cas…