BACKGROUND Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, very aggressive neuroectodermal tumor of the skin. It is typically located on sun-exposed skin and frequently found in white men aged between 70 and 80 years. CASE PRESENTATION We report a case of a 58-year-old black woman diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma of the posterior face of the right elbow. She had biopsy excision and was lost to follow-up...

An intense immune infiltrate, enriched in T cells, is associated with the presence of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) DNA in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare skin cancer. High tumor-infiltrating T-cell counts are associated with favorable survival regardless of the tumor MCPyV status. Hence, boosting host immune functions might constitute a new approach for the treatment of MCC.

O1 Development and application of a real time PCR assay for detection and quantification of merkel cell virus (MCV) in archived formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue samples of merkel cell carcinoma and other cancers R Modali, J Goedert, E Engels, LWAyers and K Bhatia Bioserve, Laurel, Maryland, USA National Cancer Institute, IIB, DCEG, Rockville, Maryland, USA The Ohio State University, Colu...

We investigated whether Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) patients in France carry Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) and then identified strain variations. All frozen MCC specimens and 45% of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens, but none of the non-MCC neuroendocrine carcinomas specimens, had MCPyV. Strains from France and the United States were similar.

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, a...

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), associated with Merkel cell carcinoma, was detected in 27 of 635 nasopharyngeal aspirate samples by real-time PCR. MCPyV was more commonly found in adults than in children. Presence in the upper respiratory tract may be a general property of human PyVs.

BACKGROUND There are conflicting data on markers of disease progression and outcome of Merkel cell carcinoma. OBJECTIVE We suggest to review histological and various immunohistochemical features of Merkel cell carcinoma specimens, in order to identify prognostic markers of clinical relevance. METHODS We collected paraffin-embedded blocks from primary tumours from 26 patients diagnosed with ...

Background: Solid organ transplant recipients develop cutaneous malignancies at a higher rate and with a more aggressive clinical course when compared to the general population. Due to a lack of current information within the transplant literature, we sought to assess the clinical course, treatment and outcomes of metastatic skin cancer in solid organ transplant recipients. Methods: Medical rec...