The comprehensive English National Lynch Syndrome Registry: development and description of a new genomics data resource

• Published in: EClinicalMedicine 2024-03, Vol.69, p.102465-102465, Article 102465
• Main Authors: Huntley, Catherine, Loong, Lucy, Mallinson, Corinne, Bethell, Rachel, Rahman, Tameera, Alhaddad, Neelam, Tulloch, Oliver, Zhou, Xue, Lee, Jason, Eves, Paul, Cook, Jacqueline, Armstrong, Ruth, Ahmed, Munaza, McVeigh, Terri, DeSouza, Bianca, Kulkarni, Anjana, Bezuidenhout, Heirdre, Martin, Richard, Holliday, Debbie, Hart, Rachel, Lalloo, Fiona, Donaldson, Alan, Cleaver, Ruth, Willis, Catherine, Kiesel, Victoria, O'Reilly, Marie-Anne, Halliday, Dorothy, Solomons, Joyce, Ong, Kai Ren, McRonald, Fiona, Torr, Bethany, Burn, John, Shaw, Adam, Morris, Eva J.A., Monahan, Kevin, Hardy, Steven, Turnbull, Clare
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Data; Genomics; Lynch syndrome; Registry
• ISSN: 2589-5370; 2589-5370
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102465

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. For comprehensive ascertainment of retrospectively identified MMR pathogenic variant (PV) carriers (diagnosed prior to January 1, 2023), information was retrieved from all clinical genetics services across England, then restructured, amalgamated, and validated via a team of trained experts in NDRS. An online submission portal was established for prospective ascertainment from January 1, 2023. The resulting data, stored in a secure database in NDRS, were used to investigate the demographic and genetic characteristics of the cohort, censored at July 25, 2023. Cancer outcomes were investigated via linkage to the National Cancer Registration Dataset (NCRD). A total of 11,722 retrospective and 570 prospective data submissions were received, resulting in a comprehensive English National Lynch Syndrome Registry (ENLSR) comprising 9030 unique individuals. The most frequently identified pathogenic MMR genes were MSH2 and MLH1 at 37.2% (n = 3362) and 29.1% (n = 2624), respectively. 35.9% (n = 3239) of the ENLSR cohort received their LS diagnosis before their first cancer diagnosis (presumptive predictive germline test). Of these, 6.3% (n = 204) developed colorectal cancer, at a median age of initial diagnosis of 51 (IQR 40–62), compared to 73 years (IQR 64–80) in the general population (p