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Would you offer adjuvant radiation to the surgical bed for a Merkel cell carcinoma of the upper extremity with low-risk features as per the NCCN Guidelines?

*Negative margins, <1cm in size, no LVI, negative SLNB, not immunocompromised, no prior surgery (as well as a negative PET/CT scan).
2 Answers
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Radiation Oncology · UTMB
Answered on

There is no clear role for adjuvant RT here. This is a low risk situation and may be safely observed.

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Mednet Member
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Radiation Oncology · Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Answered on

I would only consider it in this situation if the tumor was not widely excised (ie, an excisional biopsy was done for diagnostic purposes) and there was no plan for further surgery. The reported low rates of local recurrence with surgery alone (without adjuvant surgical bed radiation) have been afte...

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