ArticleAdvances in radiation oncology2024
Postoperative Radiation Therapy Is Indicated for "Low-Risk" Pathologic Stage I Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Region but Not for Other Locations.
Article in Advances in radiation oncology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 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.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- One dose of adjuvant 8 Gray postoperative radiotherapy for Merkel cell carcinoma excised with narrow margins: Low toxicity and comparable efficacy to conventional radiotherapy.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2026Article
- Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Evolving Therapeutics, Continued Challenges.Head & neck · 2025Review
- High-Grade Angiosarcoma Transformation in Schwannoma and SMARCB1 Mutation: A Case Report.The American journal of case reports · 2025Article
- Merkel Cell Carcinoma.Hematology/oncology clinics of North America · 2024Review
- Considerations Regarding Mohs Surgery for Early-Stage Merkel Cell Carcinoma.JAMA dermatology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Purpose: The role of postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) in early stage Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is controversial. We analyzed the role of PORT in preventing local recurrences (LR) among patients with low-risk, pathologic stage I MCC based on the location of the primary tumors: head/neck (HN) versus non-HN sites. Methods and Materials: One hundred forty-seven patients with MCC were identified that had "low risk" disease (pathologic T1 primary tumor, negative microscopic margins, negative pathologic node status, no immunosuppression or prior systemic therapy). LR was defined as tumor recurrence within 2 cm of the primary surgical bed, and its frequency was estimated with the cumulative incidence method. Results: Seventy-nine patients received PORT (30 HN, 49 non-HN) with a median dose of 50 Gy (range, 8-64 Gy) and 68 patients were treated with surgery alone (30 HN, 38 non-HN). Overall, PORT was associated with a decreased risk of LR (5-year rate: 0% vs 9.5%; Conclusions: For low-risk, pathologic stage I MCC of the extremities and trunk, excellent local control rates were achieved with surgery, and PORT is not indicated. However, PORT was associated with a significant reduction in LRs among low-risk MCC of the HN.
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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.