Radiation therapy in the management of Merkel cell carcinoma: Current perspectives Journal Article
| Authors: | Rush, Z.; Fields, R. C.; Lee, N.; Brownell, I. |
| Article Title: | Radiation therapy in the management of Merkel cell carcinoma: Current perspectives |
| Abstract: | Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare cutaneous neuroendocrine neoplasm with a propensity for metastatic spread. When managing MCC, surgical excision is often the initial treatment. As MCC is generally radiosensitive, many institutions include adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in their standard treatment protocols. In the absence of prospective randomized clinical trials, a number of retrospective reports suggest that adjuvant RT can improve local and regional recurrence rates. Here, we provide an overview of recent studies on the use of RT in MCC treatment and explore the limits of the current knowledge. Ultimately, the benefits and risks associated with using RT in the treatment of MCC remain poorly described and merit more rigorous investigation. © 2011 Expert Reviews Ltd. |
| Keywords: | immunohistochemistry; cancer survival; cancer surgery; overall survival; clinical feature; review; risk benefit analysis; cancer adjuvant therapy; cancer radiotherapy; disease free survival; radiation dose; cancer diagnosis; sentinel lymph node biopsy; diagnostic imaging; risk assessment; neuroendocrine tumor; brachytherapy; radiation therapy; merkel cell carcinoma; merkel cell tumor; therapy effect; clinical effectiveness; biopsy technique; external beam radiotherapy; diagnostic test; chemoradiation; chemoradiotherapy; external-beam radiation |
| Journal Title: | Expert Review of Dermatology |
| Volume: | 6 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| ISSN: | 1746-9872 |
| Publisher: | Informa Healthcare |
| Date Published: | 2011-08-01 |
| Start Page: | 395 |
| End Page: | 404 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1586/edm.11.40 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| PMCID: | PMC3615640 |
| PUBMED: | 23565121 |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | --- - "Export Date: 3 October 2011" - "Source: Scopus" |
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