Multidisciplinary Treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the Extremities: Outcomes and Factors Associated with Poor Survival in Nodal Disease

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) has a tendency for lymphatic spread and locoregional recurrence, although there is little data examining the risk factors for patients with lymph node-positive extremity lesions. The purpose of the current study was to examine the outcomes and risk factors associated with nodal metastasis in extremity MCC. We retrospectively reviewed the medical record of 120 patients with extremity MCC evaluated at our institution between 1994 and 2021. The mean age of this cohort was 71 years; 33% of patients were female; and 98% were Caucasian. Seventy-eight (65%) patients presented with localized disease. Thirty-seven (31%) patients had stage III disease, and five (4%) patients had stage IV disease. Treatment of primary lesions consisted primarily of margin-negative excision and adjuvant radiotherapy. Nodal metastases were most treated with adjuvant radiation or completion lymph node dissection. Five-year disease-specific survival in our series was 88% for patients with localized disease, 89% for stage IIIa disease, 40% for stage IIIb disease and 42% for stage IV. Factors associated with worse survival included immunosuppression and macroscopic nodal disease. In conclusion, extremity MCC has a low rate of local recurrence when treated with margin-negative excision and adjuvant radiation. However, treatment of nodal metastases remains a challenge with high rates of recurrence and mortality, particularly for patients who are immunosuppressed or who have macroscopic nodal disease.