Nathanael R. Fillmore
Publications / 2025
paper
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology2025doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2025.06.007

Treatment and disease-specific survival differences among veterans with Merkel cell carcinoma.

Daniel Y. Kim, Linden Huhmann, Daniel S. Hippe, Lee Wheless, Michelle Pavlis, Jonathan C. Hwang, Mary T. Brophy, Nhan V. Do, Paul Nghiem, Nathanael Fillmore‡, Rebecca I. Hartman‡

‡ Equal senior authorship

Summary

Veterans with Merkel cell carcinoma have significantly lower five-year survival rates and higher disease-specific mortality compared to the general population. These disparities may be influenced by a lower rate of radiation therapy among veterans, suggesting a need for improved access to this critical treatment.

Key result

Veterans with Merkel cell carcinoma had a significantly lower 5-year overall survival rate (35.0%; 95% CI, 30.0% to 40.7%) and a higher 5-year cumulative incidence of disease-specific mortality (34.7%; 95% CI, 29.2% to 40.2%) compared to patients in the SEER cohort (49.4% and 21.7%, respectively; P < .001).

Key figure

Key figure from Treatment and disease-specific survival differences among veterans with Merkel cell carcinoma.