Feun L G, Savaraj N, Legha S S, Silva E G, Benjamin R S, Burgess M A
Division of Medicine, M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston, Texas.
Cancer. 1988 Aug 15;62(4):683-5. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19880815)62:4<683::aid-cncr2820620406>3.0.co;2-j.
Thirteen patients with regional or distant metastases from Merkel cell carcinoma were treated with combination chemotherapy. Three patients had a complete response to therapy. In two patients with nodal disease the duration of response was 10+ and 4+ years. In addition, three patients had a partial response, and six patients had minor responses. Chemotherapy using a combination of drugs that are active against small cell carcinoma of the lung is recommended in the treatment of unresectable disease in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma; it may produce prolonged responses. While tumor regressions as a result of chemotherapy were often dramatic, once the disease progressed, the course of the disease often moved rapidly downhill and proved to be fatal.
13例默克尔细胞癌出现区域或远处转移的患者接受了联合化疗。3例患者对治疗完全缓解。2例有淋巴结疾病的患者缓解持续时间分别为10年以上和4年以上。此外，3例患者部分缓解，6例患者轻度缓解。对于默克尔细胞癌不可切除疾病的治疗，建议使用对肺癌小细胞癌有效的联合化疗药物；可能产生持久缓解。虽然化疗导致的肿瘤消退通常很显著，但一旦疾病进展，病情往往迅速恶化并被证明是致命的。
