MERKEL CELL-CARCINOMA - ANALYSIS OF CLINICAL, HISTOLOGIC, AND IMMUNOHISTOLOGIC FEATURES OF 132 CASES WITH RELATION TO SURVIVAL

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon malignancy of t he skin and has a high rate of recurrence and metastasis. There have b een few large studies of the biologic behavior of MCC. Objective: Our purpose was to determine whether there were clinical or histologic fea tures of MCC that predict its biologic behavior. Methods: We reviewed 132 cases of MCC. Clinical and histologic features were correlated wit h follow-up information to determine whether any of these were associa ted with prognosis. Results: Clinical information was available on 126 patients; 57 were alive, 1 was alive with tumor, 28 died of tumor, 27 died from other causes, and 14 were lost to follow-up. MCC on the but tock/thigh area or trunk had the worst prognosis, and these on the dis tal extremities had the best prognosis; however, the difference was no t statistically significant. Sex and age were not significant factors. Small cell size, high mitotic rate, and large tumor size were associa ted with a low survival rate. When cell size was excluded, male sex an d depth of invasion were associated with a worse survival, although th ese were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Cell size, mitotic rate, and tumor size are significant factors in relation to the biolo gic behavior of MCC.