Merkel cell carcinoma

What is Merkel cell carcinoma?

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare skin cancer. It is also an aggressive skin cancer. MCC is considered aggressive because it can:

• Grow quickly and spread.
• Return after treatment.

Because MCC is aggressive, doctors recommend prompt treatment. The sooner this skin cancer is treated the better the outcome.Cases of Merkel cell carcinoma have tripled in the past 20 years.To improve a patient’s outcome, a team of doctors usually creates the treatment plan for MCC. This approach allows the patient to benefit from the expertise of specialists in different areas of medicine. The team often includes a dermatologist, a medical oncologist (cancer specialist), and a radiation oncologist (specialist in treating cancer with radiation.) Other doctors may also be a part of this team.

It is important for patients diagnosed with MCC to:

• Keep all appointments with their doctors.
• Check their skin and lymph nodes for signs of cancer as recommended.

These actions help find cancer as early as possible.

To get a better understanding of what to look for on the skin, some patients find it helpful to look at pictures of MCC. You’ll find more pictures of this skin cancer at Merkel cell carcinoma: Signs and symptoms.

Source: https://www.aad.org

Signs and symptoms

This rare skin cancer often looks harmless. Many people mistake it for a pimple, bug bite, or cyst. If you see a lump or hardened patch on your skin that looks like any pictures on this page, you should immediately make an appointment to see a dermatologist.

This appointment is especially important if you have:

• Fair skin and are 50 years of age or older.
• A disease that weakens your immune system, such as HIV or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (a cancer of the blood and bone marrow).
• Received an organ transplant.
• Had Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) or another skin cancer.

Merkel cell carcinoma: What it looks like

MCC often appears on skin that has had lots of sun exposure. The MCC tumor tends to:

• Feel firm.
• Grow quickly (in a few weeks or months).
• Have one color, either red, pink, blue, or violet.

MCC also can appear as a rough, hardened patch of skin. This patch tends to form on the trunk of the body.

Merkel cell carcinoma: Symptoms

People diagnosed with MCC often say that the lump or patch was painless.

Merkel cell carcinoma: Where it appears on the body

This rare skin cancer can develop anywhere on the skin. Most MCCs, however, appear on skin that has received lots of sun exposure. About half of MCCs develop on the head or neck, with many of these forming on the eyelid. Other places that MCC tends to develop are the legs, arms, feet, buttocks, and genitals.

One of the greatest risk factors for MCC is age. Most MCCs develop in people who are 50 years of age or older. Other risk factors for MCC also increase the likelihood of developing this rare skin cancer. You will find the risk factors at Merkel cell carcinoma: Who gets and causes.

Source: https://www.aad.org

Who gets and causes

Who gets Merkel cell carcinoma?

Most Merkel cell cancers are diagnosed in people who are:

• 50 years of age or older (90%).
• Fair skinned and did not protect their skin from the sun (98%).

According to research studies, gender also seems to play a role. Men are twice as likely to get to MCC.

White men who are 50 years of age or older and have spent a lot of time in the sun without sun protection seem to have the greatest risk of developing MCC.

Other risk factors

Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is a risk factor. Age, fair skin, and lots of sun exposure are the most common risk factors for MCC. Other risk factors for MCC are:

Illness that weakens your immune system: Your immune system helps you stay healthy. Some illnesses, however, weaken your immune system. Illnesses that weaken the immune system include HIV and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (a cancer of the blood and bone marrow).

Medicine that weakens your immune system: People who received an organ transplant must take medicine for life. This medicine prevents the body from rejecting the transplanted organ. It also weakens the immune system. Other medicines can also weaken the immune system.
If you have concerns about a medicine you take, talk with your doctor. Immediately stopping a medicine or reducing the amount of medicine you take can cause serious side effects.Exposure to arsenic or infrared light: Being exposed to arsenic for a long time seems to increase the risk. Long-term exposure can come from drinking well water that contains arsenic. Some people are exposed to arsenic in the workplace. Infrared light is common in some workplaces and homes. Common sources of infrared light are lasers, some furnaces, and heat lamps.

PUVA therapy, using methoxsalen (meth-OX-a-len): Some patients treated with PUVA therapy receive a medicine called methoxsalen. In one study, researchers found that 3 of the 1,380 patients taking methoxsalen developed MCC. The cancer developed many years later. All of the patients had taken methoxsalen during their PUVA therapy. Two of these patients received more than 300 PUVA treatments.

What causes Merkel cell carcinoma?

Scientists are still studying what causes this skin cancer.

A research breakthrough came in 2008 when scientists discovered a virus called the Merkel cell polyomavirus. This virus is found in many Merkel cell tumors. To gain a better understanding of this cancer, scientists are studying this virus.

If you have risk factors for Merkel cell carcinoma

Having risk factors does not mean that you will get MCC. This skin cancer is rare. You can reduce your risk by protecting your skin from the sun. This can also reduce your risk for getting other types of skin cancer.

If you are concerned that you may have MCC, you should immediately make an appointment to see a dermatologist. You can find out how this skin cancer is diagnosed and treated by going to Merkel cell carcinoma: Diagnosis and treatment.

Source: https://www.aad.org