Single-Fraction Radiotherapy Improves Local Control in Merkel Cell Carcinoma

WEDNESDAY, July 22, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with stage 1 to 2 Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), local control is improved with single-fraction 8 Gray radiotherapy (SFRT) versus observation, comparable to conventional postoperative radiotherapy (cPORT; about 50 Gray across 25 fractions), according to a study published online July 20 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.Emily T. Huynh, from the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues compared postoperative SFRT to observation and cPORT for stage 1 to 2 MCC. Local recurrences were assessed for 108 patients in the observation group, 156 receiving cPORT, and 43 receiving SFRT.The researchers found that observation patients had fewer risk factors per patient than patients undergoing SFRT and cPORT (mean 1.2 versus 1.6 and 1.6, respectively). Three-year local control was better for cPORT and SFRT than observation (97.4 and 100 percent, respectively, versus 91.0 percent), especially in patients with narrow surgical margins (≤1 cm). Overall, 21 percent of SFRT patients had adverse events, all grade 1."These findings support SFRT as a practical adjuvant therapy option for localized MCC that can preserve quality of life, particularly for older patients and head/neck primaries," the authors write.Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical and dermatology industries.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Single-Fraction Radiotherapy Improves Local Control in Merkel Cell Carcinoma

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