SynthesisFuture oncology (London, England)2026
Avelumab real-world use in advanced Merkel cell carcinoma: a systematic review and non-comparative meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Future oncology (London, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Optimal Duration of Adjuvant Platinum-Etoposide in High-Risk Merkel Cell Carcinoma.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Targeting Folate Receptors for the Detection and Selective Treatment of Cancer: Advanced Precision Oncology in Practice.International journal of biological sciences · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimProgrammed death (ligand) 1 inhibitors (e.g., avelumab, pembrolizumab, and retifanlimab) are first-line treatment options for patients with locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). In the absence of comparative and randomized trials, we aimed to systematically identify and synthesize real-world evidence (RWE) on the effectiveness and safety of immunotherapies in patients with advanced MCC. METHODS & MATERIALS: MEDLINE and Embase searches were conducted for observational RWE studies in locally advanced or metastatic MCC from January 2017 to December 2023. Avelumab was the only immunotherapy with sufficient data for analysis. Landmark 12-month overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed by meta-analysis.
resultsScreening of 1731 records identified 37 publications eligible for inclusion (16 unique studies), of which eight were included in the meta-analysis. In line with results from the JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial, pooled 12-month OS rates of 77.7% in stage III and 63.0% in stage IV MCC and 12-month PFS rates of 53.3% and 39.3%, respectively, were estimated. Although safety data were insufficient for meta-analysis, two retrospective studies reported lower adverse event rates than JAVELIN Merkel 200.
conclusionsThe results of this study support broader use of avelumab in advanced MCC.
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