Clinical treatment of advanced Merkel cell carcinoma

National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Patients are enrolled in clinical trials designed to treat patients with advanced Merkel cell carcinoma or to provide adjuvant treatment to patients with earlier stage disease that has been treated with surgery or radiation. The NIH Clinical Research Center served as a study site in a seminal multi-institutional, open-label phase II study of EMD Serono's anti PD-L1 antibody (avelumab) for the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma. In addition to the samples collected during the trial for the central protocol, patients seen at the NIH and other institutions have tumor specimens and blood collected to evaluate anti-tumor immune responses during treatment. Trial participants also had the option to enroll in a study on the microbiome in cancer immunotherapy. New clinical trials are in development. We have leveraged our drug discovery and drug development studies, analysis of clinical specimens, and epidemiology studies to identify new candidate therapies, suggest optimal management approaches, and identify clinical associations that assist with diagnosis and management of Merkel cell carcinoma.