Merkel cell carcinoma is an aggressive tumor that should be treated early and aggressively. Although there are 5 published cases of spontaneous regression of Merkel cell carcinoma, a patient's best chance for survival is early detection with either wide local excision or Mohs' micrographically controlled margins with a final 5- to 10-mm layer. This should be followed by sentinel lymph node biopsy with lymph node dissection of the draining basin if metastases are discovered. Adjuvant radiation to the primary site and the draining basin should follow. Although this aggressive approach to treatment is not appropriate for every case, the literature, although scanty, supports this. Chemotherapy with or without additional radiation therapy should be offered to patients with advanced disease, mostly for palliation. The need for prospective trials and longer follow-up for larger series of patients is obvious.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|
Background: Neuroendocrine neoplasias grade 3 (NEN G3) are rare tumors with poor prognosis and no established second-line therapy. The role of immune checkpoint blockade in these aggressive tumors remains unclear.
Methods: The phase II AVENEC study evaluated the effect of avelumab (AVE, 10 mg/kg IV Q2W) in 60 patients with well-differentiated high-grade neuroendocrine tumors (NET G3, N=22) or poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC, N=38) progressing after ≥ one prior chemotherapy (excluding Merkel cell and small-cell lung cancer).
NPJ Digit Med
January 2025
Mike Toth Head and Neck Cancer Research Center, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA.
Accurate prognostication guides optimal clinical management in skin cancer. Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is the most aggressive form of skin cancer that often presents in advanced stages and is associated with poor survival rates. There are no personalized prognostic tools in use in MCC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Invest Dermatol
January 2025
Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States.
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and melanoma are important contributors to skin cancer mortality in the United States. We evaluated their epidemiology using US cancer registry data. During 2000-2021, 19,444 MCCs and 646,619 melanomas of the skin were diagnosed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancers (Basel)
December 2024
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit, Regional Melanoma Referral Center and Melanoma & Skin Cancer Unit, Santa Maria Annunziata Hospital, 50012 Florence, Italy.
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) aims at identifying clinically occult nodal metastases. It is the standard staging procedure for patients with T1b to T4 primary cutaneous melanoma. Moreover, it is recommended whenever the risk of a positive SLNB is >5%, according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Melanoma guidelines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Institute of Biological Information Processing, IBI-2: Mechanobiology, Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany.
Targeting of diseased cells is one of the most urgently needed prerequisites for a next generation of potent pharmaceuticals. Different approaches pursued fail mainly due to a lack of specific surface markers. Developing an RNA-based methodology, we can now ensure precise cell targeting combined with selective expression of effector proteins for therapy, diagnostics or cell steering.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!