Trial reportAnnals of surgical oncology2012
Merkel cell carcinoma of unknown primary origin.
Trial report in Annals of surgical oncology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed.
- A 30-Year Single-Centre Series of Unknown Primary Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Management and Prognosis.Cancers · 2026Article
- Methylation profiling: a diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma of the lymph node without detectable skin primary tumor.Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology · 2025Article
- Metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma with an unknown primary tumor presenting as lymphadenopathy: A case report.International journal of surgery case reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Recent Updates on Viral Oncogenesis: Available Preventive and Therapeutic Entities.Molecular pharmaceutics · 2023Review
- An Extraordinary Cause of Colonic Obstruction: Merkel Cell Carcinoma of Unknown Primary.ACG case reports journal · 2023Article
- From Biology to Diagnosis and Treatment: The Ariadne's Thread in Cancer of Unknown Primary.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Nodal Merkel Cell Carcinoma with Unknown Primary Site and No Distant Metastasis: A Single-Center Series.Cancers · 2022Article
- Merkel cell carcinoma in lymph nodes with and without primary origin.Cancer medicine · 2022Article
- Immune activity in Merkel cell carcinoma.The Journal of dermatology · 2022Review
- Article
- Bone marrow involvement with Merkel cell carcinoma.BMJ case reports · 2020Article
- Observational
- Unknown primary Merkel cell carcinoma with cutaneous spread.BMJ case reports · 2019Article
- Immune checkpoint blockade for Merkel cell carcinoma: actual findings and unanswered questions.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2019Review
- Burden of Disease, Early Diagnosis, and Treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma in Latin America.Journal of global oncology · 2018Review
- Merkel Cell Carcinoma Patients Presenting Without a Primary Lesion Have Elevated Markers of Immunity, Higher Tumor Mutation Burden, and Improved Survival.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2018Article
- Merkel cell carcinoma: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2017Review
- Expression of Merkelcell polyomavirus (MCPyV) large T-antigen in Merkel cell carcinoma lymph node metastases predicts poor outcome.PloS one · 2017Article
- Is this the end of cytotoxic chemotherapy in Merkel cell carcinoma?OncoTargets and therapy · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor of the skin. MCC from an unknown primary origin (MCCUP) can present a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We describe our single-institution experience with the diagnosis and management of MCCUP presenting as metastases to lymph nodes.
methodsAfter institutional review board approval, our institutional database spanning the years 1998-2010 was queried for patients with MCCUP. Clinicopathologic variables and outcomes were assessed.
resultsFrom a database of 321 patients with MCC, 38 (12%) were identified as having nodal MCCUP. Median age was 67 years, and 79% were men. Nodal basins involved at presentation were cervical (58%), axillary/epitrochlear (21%), or inguinal/iliac (21%). CK20 staining was positive in 93% of tumors tested, and all were negative for thyroid transcription factor-1. Twenty-nine patients (76%) underwent complete regional lymph node dissection (LND): 3 had LND alone, ten had LND and adjuvant radiotherapy, and 16 underwent LND followed by chemoradiotherapy. Definitive chemoradiotherapy without surgery was provided to six patients (16%), while radiotherapy alone was provided to three (8%). Recurrence was observed in 34% of patients. Median recurrence-free survival was 35 months. Ten patients (26%) died, five of disease and five of other causes. The median overall survival was 104 months.
conclusionsNodal MCCUP is a rare disease affecting primarily elderly white men. Recurrence is observed in approximately one-third of patients, with a 104 month median overall survival after a multimodal treatment approach consisting of surgery along with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the majority of patients.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.