Recent Therapeutic Advances and Change in Treatment Paradigm of Patients with Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive, primary cutaneous neuroendocrine tumor that typically presents as an indurated nodule on sun-exposed areas of the head and neck in the white population. Major risk factors include immunosuppression, UV light exposure, and advanced age. Up to 80% of MCC are associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus. About 50% of patients present with localized disease, and surgical resection with or without adjuvant radiotherapy is generally indicated in this context. However, recurrence rates are high and overall prognosis rather poor, with mortality rates of 33%-46%. MCC is a chemosensitive disease, but responses in the advanced setting are seldom durable and not clearly associated with improved survival. Several recent trials with checkpoint inhibitors (p

SUBMITTER: Garcia-Carbonero R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6795164 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature