Association Between Treatment Center Experience and Survival After Diagnosis of Stage I–III Merkel Cell Carcinoma

December 8, 2020

Take-Home Message

  • Using the National Cancer Database, cases of stage I–III Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC; N=11,119) were sorted into those treated at high treatment center volume (TCV) institutions versus low TVC institutions. At a median follow-up of 28.8 months, the 2-year overall survival was greater at high TCV facilities (70.9% vs 63.6%; P < .0001). This was maintained for stage I to II tumors (76.8% vs 68.2%; P < .0001) and stage III tumors (59.2% vs 52.9%; P = .0013). Each increment of 9 cases/year was associated with a 3% overall survival improvement.
  • Overall survival of MCC improved when patients were treated at high-volume institutions, possibly due to the increased familiarity with multidisciplinary care paths available at these institutions. Physicians treating patients with curative MCC may consider referring to these centers in order for patients to have access to clinical trials and specialty expertise.

– Margaret Hammond, MD

Click here to read the paper.

Click here to read commentary by Dr. Paul Nghiem.