Merkel cell carcinoma.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare yet highly aggressive tumour of the skin. While the dangers of other skin cancers like malignant melanoma are ingrained in most physicians’ minds—with the changing or atypical nevus often inciting an urgent biopsy—MCC remains an unfamiliar and neglected disease. Yet, the annual incidence of MCC is rising more quickly than that of melanoma, at 8% annually, and one-third of patients die within 3 years of diagnosis.1,2 Despite these sobering figures, a timely diagnosis followed by excision and radiotherapy can be curative in early disease. This article seeks to familiarize family physicians with both the characteristics and the management of MCC, so that they can quickly identify MCC patients and direct them to the appropriate specialists for care.