Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40075669›Full record

ArticleCancers2025

Low Intratumoral CD200 Protein Expression in Primary Merkel Cell Carcinoma Is a Strong Predictor for Disease Relapse.

Thilo Gambichler, Sophia Girke, Nessr Abu Rached, Laura Susok, Jürgen C Becker, Hans-Joachim Schulze, Tobias Hirsch, Maximilian Kückelhaus, Sascha Wellenbrock

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Thilo GambichlerSkin Cancer Center, Department of Dermatology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44787 Bochum, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7862-3695
Sophia GirkeSkin Cancer Center, Department of Dermatology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44787 Bochum, Germany.
Nessr Abu RachedSkin Cancer Center, Department of Dermatology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44787 Bochum, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-6853-0743
Laura SusokSkin Cancer Center, Department of Dermatology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44787 Bochum, Germany.
Jürgen C BeckerTranslational Skin Cancer Research, DKTK Partner Site Essen/Düsseldorf, West German Cancer Center, Department of Dermatology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9183-653X
Hans-Joachim SchulzeDepartment of Dermatology, Fachklinik Hornheide, 48149 Munster, Germany.
Tobias HirschDepartment of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Hand Surgery, Fachklinik Hornheide, 48157 Munster, Germany.
Maximilian KückelhausDepartment of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Hand Surgery, Fachklinik Hornheide, 48157 Munster, Germany.
Sascha WellenbrockDepartment of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Hand Surgery, Fachklinik Hornheide, 48157 Munster, Germany.ORCID 0009-0002-9113-0216

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and frequently fatal form of skin cancer. Apart from Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1)/Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) signaling, there is a lack of knowledge regarding other immune checkpoint molecules. Recent studies have observed elevated glycoprotein CD200 (also known as OX-2) mRNA expression in in different types of tumors, with CD200R-expressing myeloid cells present in the tumor microenvironment. However, the potential role of the CD200/CD200 axis as an additional checkpoint modulator remains widely unexplored. The aim of this study was to determine the intratumoral protein expression of CD200 as well as CD200R in a larger cohort of MCC patients and to correlate the expression levels with patients' outcomes.

methodsIn this multicenter study, we investigated 68 patients with MCC (68 primary tumors and 15 corresponding metastases). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed for CD200 as well as CD200R. Digital quantification and analysis of IHC were performed using QuPath-0.2.3.

resultsCD200 and CD200R expression was observed in 100% of cases. Univariate analysis revealed that low CD200 expression in primary tumors (

conclusionsExpression of CD200/CD200R proteins is very high in MCC and may thus be of diagnostic value. More importantly, low intratumoral CD200 protein expression in primary MCC represents a robust independent predictor of MCC relapse.

Indexed as

CD200/CC200R-signalingimmune checkpointsimmunotherapyMerkel cell carcinomaOX-2

Identifiers

PMID40075669
PMCPMC11899218

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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.