BACKGROUND: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon malignancy of the skin and has a high rate of recurrence and metastasis. There have been few large studies of the biologic behavior of MCC. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether there were clinical or histologic features of MCC that predict its biologic behavior. METHODS: We reviewed 132 cases of MCC. Clinical and histologic features were correlated with follow-up information to determine whether any of these were associated with prognosis. RESULTS: Clinical information was available on 126 patients; 57 were alive, 1 was alive with tumor, 28 died of tumor, 27 died from other causes, and 14 were lost to follow-up. MCC on the buttock/thigh area or trunk had the worst prognosis, and those on the distal extremities had the best prognosis; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Sex and age were not significant factors. Small cell size, high mitotic rate, and large tumor size were associated with a low survival rate. When cell size was excluded, male sex and depth of invasion were associated with a worse survival, although these were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Cell size, mitotic rate, and tumor size are significant factors in relation to the biologic behavior of MCC.
BACKGROUND:Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon malignancy of the skin and has a high rate of recurrence and metastasis. There have been few large studies of the biologic behavior of MCC. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether there were clinical or histologic features of MCC that predict its biologic behavior. METHODS: We reviewed 132 cases of MCC. Clinical and histologic features were correlated with follow-up information to determine whether any of these were associated with prognosis. RESULTS: Clinical information was available on 126 patients; 57 were alive, 1 was alive with tumor, 28 died of tumor, 27 died from other causes, and 14 were lost to follow-up. MCC on the buttock/thigh area or trunk had the worst prognosis, and those on the distal extremities had the best prognosis; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Sex and age were not significant factors. Small cell size, high mitotic rate, and large tumor size were associated with a low survival rate. When cell size was excluded, male sex and depth of invasion were associated with a worse survival, although these were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Cell size, mitotic rate, and tumor size are significant factors in relation to the biologic behavior of MCC.
Authors: T Akaike; J Qazi; A Anderson; F S Behnia; M M Shinohara; G Akaike; D S Hippe; H Thomas; S R Takagishi; K Lachance; S Y Park; E S Tarabadkar; J G Iyer; A Blom; U Parvathaneni; H Vesselle; P Nghiem; S Bhatia Journal: Br J Dermatol Date: 2020-06-16 Impact factor: 9.302
Authors: Samuel A Henderson; Michael T Tetzlaff; Penvadee Pattanaprichakul; Patricia Fox; Carlos A Torres-Cabala; Roland L Bassett; Victor G Prieto; Hunter W Richards; Jonathan L Curry Journal: J Cutan Pathol Date: 2014-10-28 Impact factor: 1.587
Authors: Wolfram E Samlowski; James Moon; Ralph J Tuthill; Michael C Heinrich; Naomi S Balzer-Haas; Stuart A Merl; Ronald C DeConti; John A Thompson; Merle T Witter; Lawrence E Flaherty; Vernon K Sondak Journal: Am J Clin Oncol Date: 2010-10 Impact factor: 2.339
Authors: Maryam M Asgari; Monica M Sokil; E Margaret Warton; Jayasri Iyer; Kelly G Paulson; Paul Nghiem Journal: JAMA Dermatol Date: 2014-07 Impact factor: 10.282
Authors: Daniel-Johannes Tilkorn; Marcus Lehnhardt; Jörg Hauser; Adrien Daigler; Heinz Homann; Hans Steinau; Cornelius Kuhnen Journal: J Med Case Rep Date: 2009-06-30