View clinical trials related to Carcinoma, Merkel Cell.
Filter by:This is an open label, multicenter, phase II study evaluating the activity and safety of pembrolizumab combined with cisplatin/carboplatin and etoposide as first line treatment in patients with advanced MCC.
Taking part in medical research usually favors a particular demographic group. But there is limited research available to explain what trial attributes affect the completion of these specific demographic groups. This study will admit a wide range of data on the clinical trial experience of Merkel cell carcinoma patients to determine which factors prevail in limiting a patient's ability to join or finish a trial. It will also try to analyze data from the perspective of different demographic groups to check for recurring trends which might yield insights for the sake of future Merkel cell carcinoma patients.
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare aggressive skin carcinoma. Approximately 80% of MCC are related to the Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV). Although rates of relapse are high, the follow-up strategy lacks consensus. Patients are usually assessed clinically every 3 to 6 months for the first 2-3 years, and every 6 to 12 months thereafter. In the European guidelines, patients with early stages are monitored with clinical examination and ultrasonography of lymph nodes, while whole-body imaging is optional in patients with stage III disease, on a yearly basis for 5 years. Such strategy may prevent the diagnosis of infra-clinical recurrences, whereas patients could still be treated with surgery or radiation therapy. Until 2017, patients with advanced disease were treated with chemotherapies, with no long-term benefit. Immunotherapies with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors currently allow durable responses in 50% of such patients. This major change in the management of MCC patients argues for a follow-up strategy that would allow early diagnosis of infra-clinical metastases, when tumoral burden is still low. Given that all patients cannot be monitored by systematic regular imaging, additional non-invasive tools are needed. Blood-based biomarkers as a surrogate of tumor burden are advantageous as they can be repeated over time, providing guidance on when imaging is necessary. The study aims to assess two blood biomarkers, MCPyV T-Ag antibodies and cell-free miR-375, in a prospective fashion from baseline diagnosis, in a cohort of 150 European MCC patients