Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, highly aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer that affects around 300 Australians each year. Although Merkel cell carcinoma is rare, Australia has the highest incidence of this cancer in the world and cases are rapidly increasing.
Treatment is often successful for patients diagnosed early, but Merkel cell carcinoma has a high risk of returning with around one-third of patients experiencing recurrence.
Merkel cell carcinoma can very quickly spread to other sites of the body and is the most lethal type of skin cancer. Only around 18% of patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma are expected to survive for five years.
The treatment options for Merkel cell carcinoma vary for different patients and may include a single therapy such as surgery, or a combination of therapies, such as surgery followed by radiotherapy or drug therapy.
Emerging data suggests that radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy is one of the most effective treatment options for treating metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.
To determine the effectiveness of this new approach, the GoTHAM Trial is investigating the use of immunotherapy drug Avelumab when combined with either conventional radiotherapy or peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.
The Australia-wide multi-centre, phase Ib / II trial aims to enrol 38 participants with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma in all capital cities.