Integrating the Management of Nodal Metastasis Into the Treatment of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer.

The two types of nonmelanoma skin cancer most apt to metastasize to lymph nodes are cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. The clinical impact of nodal metastases of these cancers is substantial, resulting in intensification of treatment and morbidity and worsened cancer outcomes. Exact best practices are challenging to define as many specific clinical scenarios remain incompletely catalogued, characterized, or studied. In general, the role of radiation therapy is indisputably established as part of the treatment of both of these diseases although its success depends on the best available assessment of extent of disease and appropriate integration into the multimodality care plan.