Merkel Cell Carcinoma

We are physicians and researchers who work on Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare and aggressive skin cancer. If you, your patient, or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with MCC, we hope you will find this website a great resource for information on the many pressing decisions that will need to be made. The information on this website includes frequently asked questions (FAQ) about MCC, the symptoms, causes, treatment and multidisciplinary management by established teams of doctors with expertise in MCC, a glossary of terms relating to Merkel cell carcinoma that patients need to be familiar with, clinical photos of MCC tumors, as well as staging and prognosis information. To improve the treatment and diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma we have formed an MCC Multicenter Interest Group (MMIG) composed of 120 physicians and researchers from more than 20 institutions in 4 countries.

To participate in our MCC studies, click here.

MCC patients have organized a Merkel cell carcinoma discussion/support group at "Google Groups." See http://groups.google.com/group/merkelcell for more information.

 

For detail on any of these news items click here.

  • KIRO 7 / CBS reported on the interleukin-12 electroporation trial. Click here for the video. March, 2012.
  • The Zent family has made a generous gift to MCC research in memory of their father/husband, Larry Zent. Click here for details. February, 2012.
  • World's first interleukin-12 electroporation treatment for immune therapy of Merkel Cell Carcinoma. January, 2012.
  • Dr. Nghiem was appointed to the Michael W. Piepkorn, MD, PhD Endowed Chair in Dermatology. October, 2011.
  • The Nghiem lab is awarded an R01 grant from the NCI to study humoral and cellular immunity in polyomavirus-linked Merkel cell carcinoma. August, 2011.
  • Paul Nghiem discusses Americans' higher incidence of skin cancer on their left sides because of where we drive in our cars with Chris Sullivan from KIRO: link. June, 2011.
  • The family and friends of Milton R. Tarbox of Rhode Island organize a golf tournament in his honor to fundraise for Merkel cell carcinoma research. July, 2011.
  • Paul Nghiem discusses sun exposure, skin cancer, and other skin-related issues on KUOW's "The Conversation" with Ross Reynolds: link. June, 2011.
  • Dr. Paulson's study of risk of melanoma and Merkel cell carciånoma shows that about one in ten of these cancers is likely associated with exposure while driving because these cancers occur more often on the left arm than the right arm. In Australia, where drivers sit on the opposite side of the car, the risk is reversed from sun-associated skin cancers: paper, link. June, 2011.
  • Merkel cell carcinoma and its associated virus are featured in the NCI Cancer Bulletin. Click here for a link to the article. May, 2011.
  • Dr. Kelly Paulson reports in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that "killer CD8 T cells," when present inside MCC tumors, predict excellent survival after MCC diagnosis. A pdf of the article can be downloaded here. April, 2011.
  • Dr. Nghiem gives a talk on the good and bad of UV radiation at the 35th Hawaii Dermatology Seminar: link. March, 2011.
  • The data and analysis to create a new staging system for Merkel cell carcinoma, now used worldwide, was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in November 2010. A pdf can be downloaded here.
  • Dr. Kelly Paulson reports in Cancer Research that antibodies to the Merkel cell polyomavirus T antigen are common among MCC patients and can be used as a dynamic marker of MCC disease burden, including as a blood test for recurrent disease. A pdf of the article can be downloaded here. October, 2010.
  • Olga Afanasiev, MD/PhD student, is awarded a four year NIH "F30" grant to study MCC and immunity, with a score in the top 2% of similar grants. July, 2010.
  • Kelly Paulson completes PhD in three amazing full-time years. May 2010.
  • Guidlines are published for how pathologists should describe the microscopic features of Merkel cell carcinoma in pathology reports. A pdf of the article can be downloaded here.
  • The new ICD-9 codes and Staging System for Merkel cell carcinoma are accepted for publication to Actas Dermosifiliogr. November 2009
  • Sherry Lee is selected to be a 2009-2010 Levinson Scholar. Oct 2009
  • Dr. Nghiem speaks at Yale University's Dermatology Seminar Series. Oct 2009
  • The Nghiem Lab is awarded an RC2 Grand Opportunity "GO" grant. Oct 2009
  • Kelly Paulson & others publish a paper in the Journal of the National Cancer Inst. showing that approximately 50% of people have antibodies for the Merkel cell polyomavirus. Sept 2009
  • Olga Afanasiev, a graduate student in UW's Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), joins the lab to study MCC's cause and potential therapies. Aug 2009
  • Drs. Nghiem and Iyer describe MCC in an article for Skin Cancer Foundation Journal. June 2009
  • Dr. Iyer is successful in petitioning CDC & WHO to establish ICD-9 codes specific for MCC. This will greatly improve the ability to obtain insurance approval for procedures for MCC patients, as well as track costs, incidence, etc for this cancer.More information on the ICD9 codes for Merkel cell carcinoma can be found here. A PDF can be downloaded here. March 2009
  • Dr. Nghiem describes the warning signs of Merkel cell carcinoma on Seattle's King 5. View the video here. March 2009
  • The NIH sponsors an MCC workshop in Rockville, MD. January 2009
  • Kelly Paulson & others publish the most detailed view of Merkel cell carcinoma genetics. November 2008
  • The American Cancer Society awards a grant to fund research with the goal of increasing our understanding of the causes of MCC and increase our ability to predict outcomes for those who have MCC. This grant proposal was rated first among 26 applications for this award. April 2008
  • The first study to characterize the presentation of Merkel cell carcinoma in a large number of patients is published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. March 2008
  • A new virus is identified, called Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV or MCPyV), in Science. This virus is present in the majority of MCC tumors. February 2008
  • To download a pdf version of the information on this website click here.

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Last Updated: 1/6/2012
Seattle Multidisciplinary MCC TeamUniversity of Washington MCC ResearchFred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Seattle Cancer Care Alliance/Skin Cancer