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.

Postoperative, Single-Fraction Radiation Therapy in Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.

Purpose: Conventionally fractionated, postoperative radiation therapy (cPORT; 50 Gy in 25 fractions) is considered for patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) to improve locoregional control. However, cPORT is associated with acute toxicity, especially in the head and neck (H&N) region, and requires daily treatments over several weeks. We previously reported high rates of durable local control with minimal toxicity using 8-Gy single-fraction radiation therapy (SFRT) in the metastatic setting.

Prevalent and Diverse Intratumoral Oncoprotein-Specific CD8 T Cells within Polyomavirus-Driven Merkel Cell Carcinomas.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is often caused by persistent expression of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) T-antigen (T-Ag). These non-self proteins comprise about 400 amino acids (AA). Clinical responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors, seen in about half of patients, may relate to T-Ag-specific T cells.

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.

Differential Outcomes Among Immunosuppressed Patients With Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Impact of Immunosuppression Type on Cancer-specific and Overall Survival.

Objectives: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer with higher incidence among whites, elderly, and immunosuppressed patients. Although immunosuppressed MCC patients are at higher risk of recurrence and MCC-related death, it is unknown whether immunosuppression type is associated with differential outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 89 nonmetastatic MCC patients with a diagnosis of chronic immunosuppression.

Effect of Patient Immune Status on the Efficacy of Radiation Therapy and Recurrence-Free Survival Among 805 Patients With Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: Patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) with chronic immunosuppression (IS) have worse outcomes, but the mechanisms are not well understood. We hypothesized that these differences may be mediated in part by differential response to treatment, and we evaluated whether radiation therapy (RT) efficacy is altered among IS compared with immune-competent (IC) patients with MCC.

Methods And Materials: Among 805 patients with MCC, recurrence-free survival (RFS) and patterns of first recurrence were compared between 89 IS and 716 IC patients with stage I to III MCC treated with curative intent.