Merkel cell carcinoma recurrence risk estimation is improved by integrating factors beyond cancer stage: A multivariable model and web-based calculator.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) recurs in 40% of patients. In addition to stage, factors known to affect recurrence risk include: sex, immunosuppression, unknown primary status, age, site of primary tumor, and time since diagnosis.

Purpose: Create a multivariable model and web-based calculator to predict MCC recurrence risk more accurately than stage alone.

Recurrence and Mortality Risk of Merkel Cell Carcinoma by Cancer Stage and Time From Diagnosis.

Importance: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) often behaves aggressively; however, disease-recurrence data are not captured in national databases, and it is unclear what proportion of patients with MCC experience a recurrence (estimates vary from 27%-77%). Stage-specific recurrence data that includes time from diagnosis would provide more precise prognostic information and contribute to risk-appropriate clinical surveillance.

Objective: To estimate risk of stage-specific MCC recurrence and mortality over time since diagnosis.

Histopathologic upgrading of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas during Mohs micrographic surgery: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Initial biopsies of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs) may not reveal aggressive histologic features, which would otherwise inform appropriate surgical management and patient education.

Objective: To assess the incidence of, and risk factors for, histopathologic upgrading of cSCC during Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of invasive cSCCs treated with MMS between 2017 and 2019 at 1 academic institution.

Clinical benefit of baseline imaging in Merkel cell carcinoma: Analysis of 584 patients.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) guidelines derive from melanoma and do not recommend baseline cross-sectional imaging for most patients. However, MCC is more likely to have metastasized at diagnosis than melanoma.

Objective: To determine how often baseline imaging identifies clinically occult MCC in patients with newly diagnosed disease with and without palpable nodal involvement.

Cost-effectiveness analyses demonstrate that observation is superior to sentinel lymph node biopsy for postmenopausal women with HR + breast cancer and negative axillary ultrasound.

Purpose: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of axillary observation versus sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after negative axillary ultrasound (AUS). In patients with clinical T1-T2 N0 breast cancer and negative AUS, SLNB is the current standard of care for axillary staging. However, SLNB is costly, invasive, decreasing in importance for medical decision-making, and is not considered therapeutic.

Patterns of distant metastases in 215 Merkel cell carcinoma patients: Implications for prognosis and surveillance.

Approximately one-third of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) patients eventually develop distant metastatic disease. Little is known about whether the location of the primary lesion is predictive of initial distant metastatic site, or if survival likelihood differs depending on the metastatic site. Such data could inform imaging/surveillance practices and improve prognostic accuracy.