ALLELOTYPE MAPPING OF UNSTABLE MICROSATELLITES ESTABLISHES DIRECT LINEAGE CONTINUITY BETWEEN ENDOMETRIAL PRECANCERS AND CANCER

Progressive microsatellite changes in replication error positive (RER) endometrium were used to reconstruct evolutionary stages of nonfamil ial adenocarcinoma. RER+ putative endometrial precancers (atypical end ometrial hyperplasias) progress to RER+ carcinomas, which retain some of the altered microsatellites acquired in earlier precursor stages. T he RER+ phenotype may provide a specific marker for early-stage endome trial neoplasms that cannot be resolved by routine histopathology and may be a useful tool to stratify stages in the evolution of RER+ tumor s.