[Management for 145 cases of Merkel cell carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC)/primary cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor. Optimal therapeutic strategy has not yet been established.


METHODS
Management of 145 patients from five centres was analysed. These data included ages, pathological stages, disease sites, histological and treatment details. Cause-specific (CSS) and overall survivals (OS) were analyzed by the Log-rank and Kaplan-Meier methods.


RESULTS
Median age was 78 years (47-95.2). We experienced 37 local, 37 regional and 15 distant relapses. In case of relapse, salvage therapy has been proposed whenever the general state of health condition of patient permitted it.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results for the treatment of relapse encourage multidisciplinary approach. Multicenter prospective trials are still needed to clarify and validate the optimal strategy.
Assouline
A
A
Centre hospitalier universitaire d'Amiens, France. avi.assouline@psl.aphp.fr
Tai
P
P
Levy
A
A
Yu
E
E
Dong Lian
J
J
Joseph
K
K
Miale
T
T
Krzisch
C
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002170:Canada; D015266:Carcinoma, Merkel Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*