Publications by authors named "John Burn"

Mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency can be indicative of Lynch syndrome (LS) and guide treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Colorectal cancers (CRCs) and endometrial cancers (ECs) are routinely screened to identify LS, primarily using immunohistochemistry (IHC) or microsatellite instability (MSI) testing, but concordance between these methods is variable in ECs. Here, we investigate this variability in 361 ECs from the Ohio OCCPI/OPTEC ( = 196) and Manchester PETALS ( = 165) trials, where concordance between assays differed significantly.

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Background: For female patients with Lynch syndrome (LS), endometrial cancer (EC) is often their first cancer diagnosis. A testing pathway of somatic tumour testing triage followed by germline mismatch repair (MMR) gene testing is an effective way of identifying the estimated 3% of EC caused by LS.

Methods: A retrospective national population-based observational study was conducted using comprehensive national data collections of functional, somatic and germline MMR tests available via the English National Cancer Registration Dataset.

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Thalassemia is one of the most prevalent monogenic disorders in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There are an estimated 270 million carriers of hemoglobinopathies (abnormal hemoglobins and/or thalassemia) worldwide, necessitating global methods and solutions for effective and optimal therapy. LMICs are disproportionately impacted by thalassemia, and due to disparities in genomics awareness and diagnostic resources, certain LMICs lag behind high-income countries (HICs).

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Background: Lynch syndrome (LS) is under-diagnosed. UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines recommend multistep molecular testing of all colorectal cancers (CRCs) to screen for LS. However, the complexity of the pathway has resulted in limited improvement in diagnosis.

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Lynch syndrome (LS) and constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) are distinct cancer syndromes caused, respectively, by mono- and bi-allelic germline mismatch repair (MMR) variants. LS predisposes to mainly gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers in adulthood. CMMRD predisposes to brain, haematological, and LS-spectrum cancers from childhood.

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Background: Colorectal cancers (CRCs) in the Lynch syndromes have been assumed to emerge through an accelerated adenoma-carcinoma pathway. In this model adenomas with deficient mismatch repair have an increased probability of acquiring additional cancer driver mutation(s) resulting in more rapid progression to malignancy. If this model was accurate, the success of colonoscopy in preventing CRC would be a function of the intervals between colonoscopies and mean sojourn time of detectable adenomas.

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Background: Hereditary adenomatous polyposis syndromes, including familial adenomatous polyposis and other rare adenomatous polyposis syndromes, increase the lifetime risk of colorectal and other cancers.

Methods: A team of 38 experts convened to update the 2008 European recommendations for the clinical management of patients with adenomatous polyposis syndromes. Additionally, other rare monogenic adenomatous polyposis syndromes were reviewed and added.

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Background: Lynch Syndrome (LS) is a cancer predisposition syndrome caused by constitutional pathogenic variants in the mismatch repair (MMR) genes. To date, fragmentation of clinical and genomic data has restricted understanding of national LS ascertainment and outcomes, and precluded evaluation of NICE guidance on testing and management. To address this, via collaboration between researchers, the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), NHS Genomic Medicine Service Alliances (GMSAs), and NHS Regional Clinical Genetics Services, a comprehensive registry of LS carriers in England has been established.

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It is believed that >95% of people with Lynch syndrome (LS) remain undiagnosed. Within the National Health Service (NHS) in England, formal guidelines issued in 2017 state that all colorectal cancers (CRC) should be tested for DNA Mismatch Repair deficiency (dMMR). We used a comprehensive population-level national dataset to analyse implementation of the agreed diagnostic pathway at a baseline point 2 years post-publication of official guidelines.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dominantly inherited micro-satellite instable (MSI) cancers, linked to mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes (MSH2, MLH1, MSH6, PMS2), challenge traditional views of cancer development and are associated with unique syndromes known as Lynch syndromes.
  • Each Lynch syndrome has distinct risks and expressions, and it’s crucial to consider factors like specific gene mutation and sex when studying these cancers.
  • Advances in colonoscopy surveillance, aspirin usage, and immunotherapy represent significant progress in personalized medicine for managing and preventing inherited MSI cancers.
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Background: Lynch syndrome is a hereditary cancer disease resulting in an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Herein, findings are reported from an emergency clinical service implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic utilizing faecal immunochemical testing ('FIT') in Lynch syndrome patients to prioritize colonoscopy while endoscopy services were limited.

Methods: An emergency service protocol was designed to improve colonoscopic surveillance access throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in England for people with Lynch syndrome when services were extremely restricted (1 March 2020 to 31 March 2021) and promoted by the English National Health Service.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Prospective Lynch Syndrome Database (PLSD) gathers data on individuals with MMR variants to study cancer diagnosis and treatment outcomes, focusing on a newly expanded cohort.
  • The study includes over 8,500 patients from 25 countries, analyzing cancer incidence, mortality rates up to age 75, and survival rates after diagnosis.
  • Findings reveal that while gynecological cancers have high incidence rates among carriers, non-colorectal cancers lead to more deaths, highlighting the need for improved care for these patients.
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Introduction: Lynch syndrome-associated cancer develops due to germline pathogenic variants in one of the mismatch repair (MMR) genes, , , or . Somatic second hits in tumors cause MMR deficiency, testing for which is used to screen for Lynch syndrome in colorectal cancer and to guide selection for immunotherapy. Both MMR protein immunohistochemistry and microsatellite instability (MSI) analysis can be used.

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Background: Sebaceous carcinomas (SC) may be associated with the cancer predisposition syndrome Muir-Torre/Lynch syndrome (MTS/LS), identifiable by SC mismatch repair (MMR) screening; however, there is limited data on MMR status of SC.

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of SC, copresentation of other cancers, and population level frequency of MMR screening in SC.

Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study of SC patients in the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service in England.

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Background & Aims: Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) is a rare recessive childhood cancer predisposition syndrome caused by germline mismatch repair variants. Constitutional microsatellite instability (cMSI) is a CMMRD diagnostic hallmark and may associate with cancer risk. We quantified cMSI in a large CMMRD patient cohort to explore genotype-phenotype correlations using novel MSI markers selected for instability in blood.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Individual-level data from 16,722 patients, with the earliest submission dating back to 2000, revealed that over 60% of NHS MMR analyses were captured in the NDRS, with colorectal cancer being the most common cancer studied.
  • * The NDRS dataset represents a comprehensive collection of clinical and genomic patient information, which can support ongoing research and potentially lead to the creation of a national genomic disease registry.
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Article Synopsis
  • Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most prevalent inherited cancer syndrome linked to DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene variants and poses a 30% to 80% risk of various cancers for carriers.
  • The condition leads to the buildup of frameshift mutations that create immunogenic peptides, which may affect how the immune system recognizes and responds to MMR-deficient cancers.
  • The INDICATE initiative has been launched to investigate how a LS carrier's HLA genotype could influence cancer risk, enhance understanding of immune responses, and direct future research on genetically defined risk populations.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aims to compare colorectal cancer (CRC) incidences between two groups: one group receiving mandatory colonoscopy surveillance (PLSD) and another group with retrospective data (IMRC) that did not have the same follow-up.
  • - Results from the PLSD showed higher CRC rates in carriers of MMR gene variants, particularly for path_MLH1 and path_MSH2, compared to the IMRC cohort, challenging previous expectations about cancer rates in these groups.
  • - The study concludes that while colonoscopy did reduce CRC incidences in paths_MPS2 carriers prior to age 50, it did not have the same effect for path_MLH1 and path_MSH2, suggesting the need for reevaluation of
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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on identifying mismatch repair (MMR) deficiencies in colorectal cancers (CRCs) for Lynch syndrome (LS) screening, which can help in targeting immune therapies.
  • It highlights the development of a multiplex PCR method that efficiently analyzes microsatellite instability (MSI) and BRAF mutations from minimal DNA samples, achieving high accuracy in classifying CRCs.
  • The research also indicates that this method can detect MSI in both biopsy samples and urine cell-free DNA, suggesting its potential use for preoperative decision-making and non-invasive screening for urinary and endometrial cancers in LS patients.
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Abstract: The CAPP2 trial investigated the long-term effects of aspirin and resistant starch on cancer incidence in patients with Lynch syndrome (LS). Participants with LS were randomized double-blind to 30 g resistant starch (RS) daily or placebo for up to 4 years. We present long-term cancer outcomes based on the planned 10-year follow-up from recruitment, supplemented by National Cancer Registry data to 20 years in England, Wales, and Finland.

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The Global Globin Network (GGN) is a project-wide initiative of the Human Variome/Global Variome Project (HVP) focusing on haemoglobinopathies to build the capacity for genomic diagnosis, clinical services, and research in low- and middle-income countries. At present, there is no framework to evaluate the improvement of care, treatment, and prevention of thalassaemia and other haemoglobinopathies globally, despite thalassaemia being one of the most common monogenic diseases worldwide. Here, we propose a universally applicable system for evaluating and grouping countries based on qualitative indicators according to the quality of care, treatment, and prevention of haemoglobinopathies.

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Background & Aims: Owing to the high load of immunogenic frameshift neoantigens, tumors arising in individuals with Lynch syndrome (LS), the most common inherited colorectal cancer (CRC) syndrome, are characterized by a pronounced immune infiltration. However, the immune status of normal colorectal mucosa in LS is not well characterized. We assessed the immune infiltrate in tumor-distant normal colorectal mucosa from LS CRC patients, sporadic microsatellite-unstable (MSI) and microsatellite-stable (MSS) CRC patients, and cancer-free LS carriers.

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