ArticleMedical sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2026
Evaluating the Role of Chemotherapy in Addition to Radiotherapy for High-Risk Merkel Cell Carcinoma.
Article in Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. 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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Abstract
backgroundMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine malignancy with a high risk of recurrence. While adjuvant radiotherapy is standard following surgical resection in high-risk disease, the additional benefit of platinum-etoposide chemotherapy and the prognostic role of tumor anatomical location remain uncertain.
methodsWe conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study including patients with high-risk MCC (stage IIB-III) treated with surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy with or without platinum-etoposide chemotherapy. Tumor sites were classified according to sun-exposure status. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods and compared using the log-rank test, with subgroup analyses by anatomical region and stage.
resultsA total of 103 patients were included, of whom 77 (74.8%) received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and 26 (25.2%) received radiotherapy alone. Patients with non-sun-exposed tumors demonstrated longer survival outcomes than those with sun-exposed tumors, with a median DFS of 57 months versus 42 months (
conclusionsIn this multicenter cohort, adjuvant chemotherapy did not demonstrate a uniform survival benefit overall but was associated with improved outcomes in head and neck MCC, suggesting a potential site-specific effect. Similar outcomes across stage III subgroups suggest that chemotherapy may mitigate stage-related prognostic differences. These findings support a selective approach to adjuvant chemotherapy and highlight the need for prospective studies incorporating modern immunotherapy strategies.
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