Skip to main content

Mismatch Repair Germline Pathogenic Variants Could Predispose to Uveal Melanoma

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on June 20, 2025.

via HealthDay

FRIDAY, June 20, 2025 -- Mismatch repair (MMR) germline alterations are enriched among patients with uveal melanoma (UM), according to a study published online June 18 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Anaïs Le Ven, from Inserm U1339 in Paris, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study involving 381 consecutive patients diagnosed with UM between July 2021 and February 2023 to identify new genetic alterations predisposing for UM. All participants consented to extended genetic testing; a panel of 122 genes predisposing to cancer were analyzed by targeted sequencing on germline DNA.

The researchers identified 79 pathogenic variants (PVs) in 70 participants. Twenty-one of these were found in clinically relevant genes, with an enrichment in the MMR genes, involved in Lynch syndrome, suggesting that MMR germline PVs could predispose to UM. One tumor from a participant carrying an MLH1 germline PV exhibited a monosomy 3, with loss of the wild-type allele of MLH1, which is located on chromosome 3. Loss of MLH1 expression was seen by immunohistochemistry; whole-genome sequencing of this tumor identified MMR variant signatures SBS6, ID1, and ID2.

"These findings suggest that MMR germline alterations could explain at least a portion of UM genetics, and that UM could be part of the Lynch syndrome spectrum," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry; a second author holds related patents.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Dietary Patterns Influence Development of Overactive Bladder

FRIDAY, June 20, 2025 -- Dietary patterns influence the development of overactive bladder (OAB), according to a study published online May 12 in Frontiers of Nutrition. Yiming...

Tinnitus Linked to Impaired Cognitive Function

FRIDAY, June 20, 2025 -- Individuals with versus those without tinnitus have significantly lower scores on cognitive function tests, according to a study published online May 29...

2023 Unintentional Fall Death Rate Was 69.9/100,000 in Those Aged 65 and Older

WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2025 -- For adults aged 65 years and older, the unintentional fall death rate was 69.9 per 100,000 population in 2023 and increased with increasing age...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.