Improved local and regional control with radiotherapy for Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
We hypothesized that radiotherapy (RT) would improve both local and regional control with Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck.



A single-institution institutional review board-approved study was performed including 113 patients with nonmetastatic Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Postoperative RT was delivered to the primary tumor bed (71.7% cases) ± draining lymphatics (33.3% RT cases).



Postoperative local RT was associated with improved local control (3-year actuarial local control 89.4% vs 68.1%; p = .005; Cox hazard ratio [HR] 0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06-0.55; p = .002). Similarly, regional RT was associated with improved regional control (3-year actuarial regional control 95.0% vs 66.7%; p = .008; Cox HR = 0.09; 95% CI = 0.01-0.69; p = .02). Regional RT played an important role for both clinical node-negative patients (3-year regional control 100% vs 44.7%; p = .03) and clinical/pathological node-positive patients (3-year regional control 90.9% vs 55.6%; p = .047).



Local RT was beneficial for all patients with Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck, whereas regional RT was beneficial for clinical node-negative and clinical/pathological node-positive patients. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 48-55, 2017.
Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Tobin
0000-0002-2613-6753
T
Strom
Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Arash O
AO
Naghavi
Department of Cutaneous Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.|Departments of Pathology & Cell Biology and Dermatology, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida.
Jane L
JL
Messina
Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Sungjune
S
Kim
Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Javier F
JF
Torres-Roca
Department of Head and Neck and Endocrine Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Jeffery
J
Russell
Department of Cutaneous Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.|Departments of Oncologic Sciences and Surgery, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida.
Vernon K
VK
Sondak
Department of Head and Neck and Endocrine Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Tapan A
TA
Padhya
Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Andy M
AM
Trotti
Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Jimmy J
JJ
Caudell
Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Louis B
LB
Harrison
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015266:Carcinoma, Merkel Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
Merkel cell carcinoma; local control; radiotherapy; regional control