Analysis of treatment options for Merkel cell carcinoma of the eyelid

Abstract

Introduction Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a clinically rare primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin, which is more prevalent in the head and neck but rare in the eyelid. In clinical practice, it is characterized by a high misdiagnosis rate, high degree of malignancy and extremely poor prognosis. At present, there is no matured and effective treatment plan for MCC.

Case outline This case study retrospectively reports a patient experiencing MCC of the eyelid in Tangshan Ophthalmology Hospital. One month after tumor resection, the patient experienced cervical lymph node spread on the same side. Following chemotherapy, no abnormal lesions were found during a follow-up of two years and three months.

Conclusion The case study demonstrates that MCC is diagnosed mainly based on pathological examination and treated with surgical resection as the preferred option. In addition, postoperative adjuvant systemic chemotherapy and local radiotherapy have an inhibitory effect on the disease’s metastasis and recurrence. Immunotherapy and molecular targeted drugs are the new development trends.

Keywords: Merkel cell carcinoma; malignant tumor; eyelid; surgery combined with chemoradiotherapy