Merkel cell carcinoma sees recurrence rate of 40% at 5 years
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Merkel cell carcinoma has a recurrence rate of 40%, with 90% reoccurring within the first 3 years, according to a study.
“We’ve been frustrated for many years that we couldn’t give patients a very likely estimate of how likely their cancer was to come back,” Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD, George F. Odland Endowed Chair and professor of dermatology and medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and one of the study’s authors, told Healio.
A prospective cohort study of patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), which had been pathologically confirmed between 2013 and 2019, included 618 subjects. Of these, 498 had pathologically staged cancer and 120 had clinically staged cancer. Recurrence occurred in 223 patients.
The 5-year overall recurrence rate was 40% for all stages (95% CI, 36%-43%).
In the first year after diagnosis the risk of recurrence was high and related to the stage of the cancer with 11% of those with pathological stage I experiencing recurrence, 33% for stage IIA/IIB, 30% for stage IIIA, 45% for stage IIIB and 58% for stage IV.
At 5 years 80% of pathological stage I patients did not have a recurrence, while 72% of those with stage IV did experience recurrence.
Death occurred in 187 patients during the study, with 121 (65%) being attributed to MCC.
More than 90% of recurrence occurred within the first 3 years after initial diagnosis.
These results can assist clinicians in determining how frequently to scan and examine patients, specifically within the first 3 years following MCC diagnosis, according to the authors.
“Because this comes back in 40% of patients, finding the cancer early matters a lot. We now have therapies that can very effectively treat patients, but they are more likely to work if we catch the recurrence early,” Nghiem said. “Merkel cell carcinoma is a risky cancer that needs to be managed by a multidisciplinary team, but if you get 3 or 4 years out without any recurrence, you can really reassure your patients that the risk is much less.”