Systematic literature review of efficacy, safety and tolerability outcomes of chemotherapy regimens in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma

Aim: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine, cutaneous malignancy with poor prognosis once metastasized. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review to assess clinical outcomes associated with chemotherapy regimens in metastatic MCC. Materials & methods: Embase (R), MEDLINE (R), MEDLINE (R)-In-Process and CENTRAL were searched for studies published in January 2016. Results & conclusion: Overall, the literature on chemotherapy in patients with metastatic MCC is sparse, with most studies being case series/reports. Across all studies, response rates ranged from 20 to 61%, with higher response rates in first-line setting (53-61%) versus second-line setting (23-45%). Among responders, duration of response was short (<= 8 months) in both first-and second-line settings. There is a need for novel agents that can induce durable responses in metastatic MCC.