ReviewHead & neck2025
Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Evolving Therapeutics, Continued Challenges.
Review in Head & neck, 2025. 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
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.
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
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- CXorf67 in malignancies: Deciphering epigenetic landscapes and clinical implications for precision oncology.Genes & diseases · 2026Review
- Merkel Cell Carcinoma in Queensland: Treatment, Incidence and Outcomes Over a 10-Year Period (2012-2021).The Australasian journal of dermatology · 2026Article
- The Influence of Hop Prenylated Chalcones on Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Depolarization and a Response to Oxidative Stress in MCC13 Merkel Cells.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Anatomical lymphatic drainage basin and sentinel lymph node positivity in Merkel cell carcinoma: a 37-year single-center cohort study of 400 patients.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Evolving Therapeutics, Continued Challenges.Head & neck · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMerkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine malignancy with rising incidence, influenced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV).
methodsThis review summarizes recent advances in MCC management, based on an analysis of current literature, focusing on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), viral status implications, and evolving multimodal treatment strategies.
resultsMCPyV-positive MCC has a median overall survival (OS) of 6.6 years compared to 1.2 years for virus-negative cases. The 5-year OS rate for localized MCC is approximately 50%. Historically, the 5-year OS for metastatic MCC was ~14%, but has significantly improved with ICIs. First-line treatment with avelumab achieved a median OS of 20.3 months and a 5-year OS of approximately 26%. Pembrolizumab demonstrated a median OS of 24.3 months, a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 9.3 months, and a durable response with a median duration of response (DOR) of 39.8 months.
conclusionDespite advances, MCC recurrence rates remain high (16.4% local, 32.1% regional, 9.5% distant), necessitating vigilant long-term surveillance. Future research should focus on optimizing combination therapies, identifying predictive biomarkers, and refining treatment sequencing to further improve survival and quality of life.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.