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Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but highly aggressive neuroendocrine neoplasm of the skin. This study aimed at describing characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of a series of consecutive cases of MCC patients, in order to contribute to the investigation of this rare malignancy and provide better patient care. This is a retrospective cohort study including all 90 patients diagnosed and/or treated for MCC between 1991 and 2018 at the Veneto Institute of Oncology in Padua (Italy). Patient and tumor characteristics, treatment, and immunohistochemical data were extracted from a prospectively collected local database. There were 68 primary (76%) and 22 non-primary (15 occult primary, three metastatic, four recurrence) tumors (24%). CK20 expression was associated with reduced overall (HR 2.92, 95% CI 1.04–8.16) and disease-specific (HR 4.62, 95% CI 1.31–16.28) survival. Immunomodulatory regimens for treatment of other comorbidities were associated with reduced disease-specific ((HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.06–4.36) and recurrence-free (HR 3.08, 95% CI 1.44–6.57) survival. Iatrogenic immunomodulation resulted as the main factor associated with impaired prognosis. Lack of CK20 expression was associated with better survival.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive neuroendocrine neoplasm of the skin. Due to its rarity, the management of MCC is not standardized across centers. In this article, we present the experience of the Veneto region in the NorthEast of Italy, where a committee of skin cancer experts has proposed a clinical pathway for the diagnosis and treatment of MCC. Putting together the evidence available in the international literature, we outlined the best approach to the management of patients affected with this malignancy step-by-step for each possible clinical situation. Crucial in this pathway is the role of the multidisciplinary team to deal with the lack of robust information on each aspect of the management of this disease.

Background: To report the baseline phase of the SIEROEPID study on SARS-CoV-2 infection seroprevalence among health workers at the University Hospital of Verona, Italy, between spring and fall 2020; to compare performances of several laboratory tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection. Methods: 5299 voluntary health workers were enrolled from 28 April 2020 to 28 July 2020 to assess immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection throughout IgM, IgG and IgA serum levels titration by four laboratory tests. Association of antibody titre with several demographic variables, swab tests and performance tests (sensitivity, specificity, and agreement) were statistically analyzed. Results: The overall seroprevalence was 6%, considering either IgG and IgM, and 4.8% considering IgG. Working in COVID-19 Units was not associated with a statistically significant increase in the number of infected workers. Cohen’s kappa of agreement between MaglumiTM and VivaDiagTM was quite good when considering IgG only (Cohen’s kappa = 78.1%, 95% CI 74.0–82.0%), but was lower considering IgM (Cohen’s kappa = 13.3%, 95% CI 7.8–18.7%). Conclusion: The large sample size with high participation (84.7%), the biobank and the longitudinal design were significant achievements, offering a baseline dataset as the benchmark for risk assessment, health surveillance and management of SARS-CoV-2 infection for the hospital workforce, especially considering the ongoing vaccination campaign. Study results support the national regulator guidelines on using swabs for SARS-CoV-2 screening with health workers and using the serological tests to contribute to the epidemiological assessment of the spread of the virus.

BackgroundMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor of the skin. The incidence of the disease has undergone a significant increase in recent years, which is caused by an increase in the average age of the population and in the use of immunosuppressive therapies. MCC is an aggressive pathology, which metastasizes early to the lymph nodes. These characteristics impose an accurate diagnostic analysis of the regional lymph node district with radiography, clinical examination and sentinel node biopsy. In recent years, there has been a breakthrough in the treatment of the advanced pathology thanks to the introduction of monoclonal antibodies acting on the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. This study aimed to describe the clinico-pathological characteristics, treatment strategies and prognostic factors of MCC.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 143 consecutive patients who were diagnosed and/or treated for MCC. These patients were referred to the Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS and to the University Hospital of Padua (a third-level center) in the period between December 1991 and January 2020. In the majority of cases, diagnosis took place at the IOV. However, some patients were diagnosed elsewhere and subsequently referred to the IOV for a review of the diagnosis or to begin specific therapeutic regimens.Results143 patients, with an average age of 71 years, were affected mainly with autoimmune and neoplastic comorbidities. Our analysis has shown that age, autoimmune comorbidities and the use of therapy with immunomodulating drugs (which include corticosteroids, statins and beta-blockers) are associated with a negative prognosis. In this sense, male sex is also a negative prognostic factor.ConclusionsAutoimmune and neoplastic comorbidities were frequent in the studied population. The use of drugs with immunomodulatory effects was also found to be a common feature of the population under examination. The use of this type of medication is considered a negative prognostic factor. The relevance of a multidisciplinary approach to the patient with MCC is confirmed, with the aim of assessing the risks and benefits related to the use of immunomodulating therapy in the individual patient.