Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42476365›Full record

ArticleJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology2026

One dose of adjuvant 8 Gray postoperative radiotherapy for Merkel cell carcinoma excised with narrow margins: Low toxicity and comparable efficacy to conventional radiotherapy.

Emily T Huynh, Peter Y Ch'en, Daniel S Hippe, Xinyi Fan, Peter H Goff, Kate Biese, Alex Fu, Ankita Menon, Nikhil Harikrishnan, Kristina Lachance and 7 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

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.

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

17 authors.

Emily T HuynhDepartment of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Yakima, Washington.
Peter Y Ch'enDepartment of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
Daniel S HippeClinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington.
Xinyi FanClinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington.
Peter H GoffDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Kate BieseDepartment of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Alex FuDepartment of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Ankita MenonDepartment of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Nikhil HarikrishnanDepartment of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Kristina LachanceDepartment of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Kent WallnerDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Neil PanjwaniDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Upendra ParvathaneniDepartment of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
Yolanda D TsengDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Tomoko AkaikeDepartment of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Lisa C ZabaDepartment of Dermatology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.
Paul NghiemDepartment of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Electronic address: pnghiem@uw.edu.

Funding

Translational Bioimaging Core Shared ResourceP30CA015704 · NCI · FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER · PI Eric Collisson · 1985 to 2026
$296.4M
Understand & overcome resistance to PD-1P01CA225517 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI Cecilia C Yeung · 2019 to 2026
$22.7M
NCI NIH HHS P01 CA225517NCI NIH HHS P30 CA015704
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) recurs in 17% to 30% of patients with stage I to II disease, with local recurrence rates between 2% and 27%. Per established guidelines, conventional postoperative radiotherapy (cPORT; ∼50 Gray across 25 fractions) should be considered for localized MCC when risk factors are present. cPORT can be morbid and logistically challenging. Single-fraction radiotherapy (SFRT) of 8 Gray has utility and low toxicity for palliation but remains underexplored postoperatively.

objectiveEvaluate postoperative SFRT for stage I to II MCC, compared to observation and cPORT.

methodsLocal recurrences were assessed for observation (n = 108 patients), cPORT (n = 156), or SFRT (n = 43) groups.

resultsObservation patients had fewer per-patient risk factors (mean: 1.2 vs 1.6 for SFRT [P = .020] and 1.6 for cPORT [P = .001]). Despite this, 3-year local control was better for cPORT (97.4%; P < .001) and SFRT (100%; P = .012) groups than observation (91.0%), particularly in patients with narrow surgical margins (≤1 cm). Adverse events occurred in 21% of SFRT patients (all grade 1). LIMITATIONS: Single-center retrospective study.

conclusionsThe SFRT group experienced improved local control relative to observation and had comparable local control to the cPORT group. For early-stage narrowly excised MCC, SFRT is feasible, well tolerated, and warrants exploration in a prospective multicenter study.

Indexed as

adjuvanthypofractionatedlocal recurrenceMerkel cell carcinomapostoperativequality of lifesingle-fraction radiation

Identifiers

PMID42476365
PMCPMC13549954

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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.