Real-world clinical outcomes with avelumab for Merkel cell carcinoma in the USA

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine neoplasm. Chemotherapy for advanced MCC has high objective response rates, but responses are not durable, and overall survival is poor. A retrospective chart review of advanced MCC patients of six US centers found that avelumab (anti-PD-L1) treatment resulted in high response rate with durable responses and prolonged survival. The authors conclude that the study findings are a real-world validation of results of clinical trials.