Effectiveness and Safety of Treatments for Early-Stage Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized and Non-Randomized Studies

Cancer research · Merkel cell carcinoma

A statistically significant improvement in OS was observed for groups administered adjuvant RTx (SRx + RTx) compared to SRx only (HR = 0.78, 95% CI, 0.62–0.99).

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized studies published between January 01, 1972, and January 31, 2023, and having overall survival (OS), local recurrence (LR), regional recurrence (RR), disease‑specific survival (DSS), and/or disease-free survival (DFS) as outcomes was conducted using the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed (NCBI), Scopus (ELSEVIER), and Web of Science (CLAVIRATE) databases. Hazard ratios (HRs) and their variances were pooled using the inverse variance heterogeneity model. Forty-nine studies representing 46,215 participants were included in the meta‑analysis. A statistically significant improvement in OS was observed for groups administered adjuvant RTx (SRx + RTx) compared to SRx only (HR = 0.78, 95% CI, 0.62–0.99).

Early‑stage Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) management remains controversial. This systematic review provides quantitative evidence that adding adjuvant radiotherapy to surgery improves overall survival, informing clinicians and patients about the potential benefit of combined modality treatment.

Evidence level: Számítógépes vagy elméleti. Modellből vagy adatbányászatból származó jel.

Original source

Related signals