Abstract
Deficiency of mismatch repair system has been shown to cause hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer as well as approximately 20% of the sporadic colorectal cancer. In advancement of molecular oncology, several molecular mechanisms of the resistance against antineoplastic agents have been elucidated. Besides its function of mismatch repair, the MMR system also recognizes certain DNA adducts or distortion caused by chemotherapeutic agents, which ultimately leads to cell cycle arrest or cell death. MMR deficient cells acquire resistance to some alkylating agents, such as platinum, and 5FU because the defected MMR system can not recognize the DNA damage caused by such agents. The knowledge of the resistance to some chemotherapeutic agents caused by MMR deficienty should be considered in a clinical setting near future.
