Sentinel lymph node status in Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck: Not a predictor of survival. Issue 4 (20th January 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fritsch, Valerie A.; Camp, E. Ramsay; Lentsch, Eric J.
• Is Part Of: Head & neck. Volume 36:Issue 4(2014:Apr.)
• Page Start: 571
• Page End: 579
• Publication Date: 2014-01-20
• Subjects: Head -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Neck -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Head -- Periodicals; Neck -- Periodicals; Face -- Periodicals; 617.51059
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.23334
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1043-3074

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="hed23334-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>The effect of sentinel lymph node status on survival in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the head and neck is uncertain.</p> </sec> <sec id="hed23334-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>We used the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database to identify patients with MCC who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Clinicopathologic data and disease‐specific survival (DSS) were compared among patients with positive and negative sentinel lymph nodes.</p> </sec> <sec id="hed23334-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>We identified 721 patients with cutaneous MCC who underwent SLNB, of which 173 (24%) had head and neck MCC. The rate of sentinel lymph node positivity in patients with head and neck MCC was 23.1%. Sentinel lymph node metastasis did not significantly affect survival in head and neck MCC (<italic>p</italic> = .139).</p> </sec> <sec id="hed23334-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>Using the SEER database, we report what we believe to be the largest head and neck MCC study to date. Our results suggest that sentinel lymph node status does not predict survival in head and neck MCC. Independent predictors of MCC‐related mortality seem to be unique in the head and neck region. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. <italic>Head Neck</italic><bold>36</bold>: 571–579, 2014</p> </sec> </abstract>