Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41228301›Full record

ArticleCancers2025

Molecular Characterization of Polyomavirus-Positive and Negative Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

Poorva Vaidya, Sharon Wu, Dave Bryant, Curtis J Perry, Varsha Prakash, Emil Lou, Theresa Guo, Isaac Brownell, Sourat Darabi, Ling Gao and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Poorva VaidyaDivision of Hematology/Oncology, UC Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, CA 92868, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5506-4250
Sharon WuCaris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ 85001, USA.
Dave BryantCaris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ 85001, USA.ORCID 0009-0006-4751-5927
Curtis J PerryDivision of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3715-5332
Varsha PrakashOregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
Emil LouDivision of Hematology/Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1607-1386
Theresa GuoDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1689-3275
Isaac BrownellDermatology Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20891, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0090-9914
Sourat DarabiHoag Family Cancer Institute, Newport Beach, CA 92663, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3395-894X
Ling GaoDepartment of Dermatology, UC Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, CA 92697, USA.
Farah AbdullaCaris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ 85001, USA.
Soo J ParkDivision of Hematology-Oncology, UC San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.

Funding

YALE CANCER CENTER CALABRESI IMMUNO-ONCOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAMK12CA215110 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Harriet M. Kluger · 2018 to 2026
$6.1M
NCI NIH HHS K12 CA215110
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are frontline treatment for advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC), regardless of viral status. Frontline ICIs provide durable benefit to only half of patients, highlighting a need for alternative therapies. In this study, the objective is to leverage whole exome sequencing (WES) and transcriptome sequencing (WTS) to distinguish genomic alterations associated with ICI response. Investigate differential genomic alterations between virus-positive (VP) and virus-negative (VN)-MCC to identify novel therapeutic targets.

methodsA total of 95 MCC cases underwent WES and WTS. Utilizing computational pipelines applied to WES, we identified viral status and tumor mutational burden (TMB). RNA-seq data was used to characterize the immune microenvironment.

resultsOf 95 MCC cases, 57 (60%) were VP-MCC and 38 (40%) were VN-MCC. Median TMB was higher in VN-MCC (27.5 vs. 1 Muts/Mb). Mutations in

conclusionsMCC oncogenesis and treatment response transcend viral status. While mutational analysis confirms previous findings, assessment of the transcriptome and tumor microenvironment suggests alternate therapeutic targets.

Indexed as

drug responseimmune checkpoint inhibitorsMerkel cell carcinomaMerkel cell polyomavirusoncologywhole transcriptome sequencing

Identifiers

PMID41228301
PMCPMC12609552

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.