Background: Carcinogenesis in colorectal carcinomas has  unravelled numerous molecular pathways with microsatellite instability pathway  gaining immense attention  because of utility in diagnosis, management and prognosis.

Methods: A retrospective observational study of 34 colorectal carcinoma cases managed at an Indian tertiary care hospital during 2015–2017 was carried out. The relevant clinical data was archived and  histopathology sections were analyzed followed by immunohistochemistry. IHC for four MMR markers was performed to assess the MSI status.

Results: Amongst the 34 cases studied, based on IHC only 3 (8.8%) cases had MSI–H and 2 (5.9%) cases had MSI–L. Majority cases 29 (85.3%) cases were microsatellite stable (MSS).

Conclusion: Despite microsatellite instability being detected in only a minor subset of patients, it was a worthy exercise in deciding the future management protocols. The reliability and ease of performing IHC adds further merit to this simple histopathology laboratory tool.