1. ¹Department of Radiation Oncology, Lab of Experimental Radiotherapy, UH Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium
2. ²Department of Human Genetics, UH Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium
3. ³Department of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

Correspondence: Dr H De Schutter, Lab of Experimental Radiotherapy, UH Gasthuisberg, CDG – 8th floor – box 815, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Tel: +32 16 34 62 95; Fax: +32 16 34 69 01; E-mail: harlinde.deschutter@uz.kuleuven.ac.be

Received 13 September 2006; Revised 26 February 2007; Accepted 4 April 2007; Published online 2 May 2007.

Abstract

Triggered by the existing confusion in the field, the current paper aimed to review the current knowledge of both microsatellite instability (MSI) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) detected by microsatellite markers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and to provide the reader with an assessment of their prognostic and predictive value in this tumor type. For both MSI and LOH, various detection methods were included such as mono- and polynucleotidemarkers and gel- as well as automated analyses. Only studies based on PCR techniques with microsatellite markers were considered. Taking the methodological problems occurring in investigations with microsatellite markers into account, LOH seems to be more common than MSI in HNSCC. Although both types of microsatellite alterations have been correlated with clinicopathological features of this tumor type, only LOH seems to have a clear prognostic value. The predictive value of both MSI and LOH is debatable. More research has to be performed to clearly establish LOH detection as a translational application in the HNSCC field, aiming to predict response to treatments or outcome, and eventually to use as a therapeutic target.