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Soo Park, MD
Soo Park, MD
Posted: Monday, February 26, 2024
In a research letter published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, researchers discussed the impact of the time from a diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma to surgery on survival. Joseph F. Sobanko, MD, MBA, of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and colleagues examined data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2017 and 2019; they found that most patients had a treatment interval of up to 1 month after diagnosis. Mortality comparisons revealed no differences between those treated within up to 1 month and those treated at 2 or more months after diagnosis.
“Time from biopsy to surgical resection (treatment interval) has been associated with decreased risk of metastases and improved survival in a number of malignancies. [However, the] effect of treatment interval in [Merkel cell carcinoma] is less clear,” stated the investigators.
A total of 603 patients with Merkel cell carcinoma were included in this study. Cohort characteristics and patient outcomes in both groups were compared. The Cox proportional hazards model was then employed to assess the effect of a longer treatment interval on overall and Merkel cell carcinoma–specific mortality.
Findings revealed that 82.1% of patients had a treatment interval of up to 1 month, whereas 17.9% had a treatment interval of 2 or more months. Probability analyses revealed similar cohort characteristics and no differences in Merkel cell carcinoma–specific death (P = .683). Cox proportional hazards modeling revealed that a treatment interval of 2 or more months was not associated with overall mortality (P = .611) or Merkel cell carcinoma–specific mortality (P = .796). The American Joint Committee on Cancer Eighth Edition stages II and III were associated with higher mortality in both groups, whereas radiation therapy was associated with lower mortality.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
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