Sentinel lymph node status in Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck: not a predictor of survival.
BACKGROUND
The effect of sentinel lymph node status on survival in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the head and neck is uncertain.


METHODS
We used the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database to identify patients with MCC who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Clinicopathologic data and disease-specific survival (DSS) were compared among patients with positive and negative sentinel lymph nodes.


RESULTS
We identified 721 patients with cutaneous MCC who underwent SLNB, of which 173 (24%) had head and neck MCC. The rate of sentinel lymph node positivity in patients with head and neck MCC was 23.1%. Sentinel lymph node metastasis did not significantly affect survival in head and neck MCC (p = .139).


CONCLUSIONS
Using the SEER database, we report what we believe to be the largest head and neck MCC study to date. Our results suggest that sentinel lymph node status does not predict survival in head and neck MCC. Independent predictors of MCC-related mortality seem to be unique in the head and neck region.
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.
Valerie A
VA
Fritsch
E Ramsay
ER
Camp
Eric J
EJ
Lentsch
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015266:Carcinoma, Merkel Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018426:SEER Program; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
Merkel cell carcinoma; head and neck; lymphoscintigraphy; prognosis; sentinel lymph node biopsy