ERN GENTURIS guidelines on constitutional mismatch repair deficiency diagnosis, genetic counselling, surveillance, quality of life, and clinical management

Abstract

Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD), first described 25 years ago, confers an extremely high and lifelong cancer risk, including haematologic, brain, and gastrointestinal tract malignancies, and is associated with several non-neoplastic features. Our understanding of this condition has improved and novel assays to assist CMMRD diagnosis have been developed. Surveillance protocols need adjustment taking into account recent observational prospective studies assessing their effectiveness. Response to immune checkpoint inhibitors and the effectiveness and toxicity of other treatments have been described. An update and merging of the different guidelines on diagnosis and clinical management of CMMRD into one comprehensive guideline was needed. Seventy-two expert members of the European Reference Network GENTURIS and/or the European care for CMMRD consortium and one patient representative developed recommendations for CMMRD diagnosis, genetic counselling, surveillance, quality of life, and clinical management based on a systematic literature search and comprehensive literature review and a modified Delphi process. Recommendations for the diagnosis of CMMRD provide testing criteria, propose strategies for CMMRD testing, and define CMMRD diagnostic criteria. Recommendations for surveillance cover each CMMRD-associated tumour type and contain information on starting age, frequency, and surveillance modality. Recommendations for clinical management cover cancer treatment, management of benign tumours or non-neoplastic features, and chemoprevention. Recommendations also address genetic counselling and quality of life. Based on existing guidelines and currently available data, we present 82 recommendations to improve and standardise the care of CMMRD patients in Europe. These recommendations are not meant to be prescriptive and may be adjusted based on individual decisions.