• Why did we write this? 
• Research Team
• Clinic Team
• Who Created This Website?

Why did we write this?

We have assembled this information to answer frequently asked questions about Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Since MCC is an uncommon malignancy, few patients are familiar with the disease and few doctors are familiar with its treatment. Easy access to understandable information is often difficult to obtain. In this resource, we have combined our review of the best available literature and our experience caring for over 300 patients with MCC at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. This information is designed to facilitate key therapeutic decisions that need to be made within weeks to months of initial diagnosis of MCC. Please discuss any questions that you may have about the information presented below with your doctor.

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Research Team

Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD.  Dr. Nghiem is a dermatologist/scientist who moved 'back home' in 2006 from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. He specializes in skin cancers with a particular interest in optimizing the management of patients with Merkel cell carcinoma.  He has cared for over 300 patients with MCC and has read, lectured and written about this uncommon and challenging disease.  Dr. Nghiem conducts basic science research on cancer biology at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.  His contributions to the MCC literature can be viewed at his laboratory website at http://www.pnlab.org.  With a goal of defining more optimal treatment for MCC, he is maintaining a clinical database and tumor bank to better analyze this rare disease. In addition, he is leading genetic studies to further understand the biology of MCC. He has also founded the MCC Multicenter Interest Group, with representatives from over 20 institutions to pool resources and expertise on this challenging cancer. Dr. Nghiem describes the warning signs of MCC on Seattle's King 5.

Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD

	Olga Afanasiev [email] Graduate Student Olga is a MD/PhD student who joined the Nghiem lab in August 2009.  She is studying MCC's cause and potential therapy. Olga will continue to see patients, who inspire and motivate her to become an academic clinician.
	Jayasri Iyer, MD [email] Research Fellow Jayasri joined our team in May, 2008. She is a dermatologist from India. Her main focus is investigating the immune response against Merkel cell polyomavirus. In addition, she is managing the MCC clinical database and is involved in patient management.
	Masaoki Kawasumi, MD, PhD [email] Research Fellow Masaoki joined our team in April, 2004. He focuses on more general mechanisms of cancer, but he provides great experience and guidance to others in the lab.
	Sherry Lee [email] Undergraduate Research Assistant Sherry joined our team in September 2008. She is at the University of Washington studying Molecular Biology, and she plans to go to medical school after she graduates. She is investigating the role of the Merkel cell polyomavirus in MCC.
	Kotaro Nagase , MD [email] Research Fellow Kotaro joined our lab in April 2010.
	Kelly Paulson (Garneski) [email] Graduate Student Kelly joined our team in June, 2006. She is an MD/PhD student who focuses on understanding the genetics of MCC for her PhD thesis, building the foundation for a career in translational medicine.
	Stephanie Pietromonaco [email] Research Scientist Stephanie joined our team in March 2010.  She graduated in 2009 from Wake Forest University.
	Andrew Tegeder [email] Medical Student Andy is a 4th year medical student at the University of Washington.  He is taking a year-long leave (09-10) from clinical rotations to study prognostic factors for MCC.
	Miranda Schmidt [email] Research Scientist Miranda joined our lab in as an undergraduate.  She graduated in June 2010 from the University of Washington and now works full-time in the lab.
	Renee Thibodeau [email] Research Scientist Renee joined our team in June, 2008. She recently graduated from Whitman College. She plans to go to medical school and pursue a career in translational medicine. Renee is helping expand and manage our MCC tissue database.

Clinic Team

	Katy Leptich, RN and Kathleen Pallansch, RN Clinic Nurses Katy and Kathleen work with Dr. Nghiem at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Skin Oncology Clinic caring for patients with Merkel cell carcinoma.
	Murchison Dawson [email] Patient Care Coordinator Please contact Murchison Dawson if you would like to make an appointment for consultation wtih Dr. Nghiem at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. phone: 206-288-1024

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Who created this website?

Sheela Gupta, MD. Dr. Gupta graduated from Boston University School of Medicine in the Spring of 2005.  She has an interest in academic dermatology, in particular cutaneous oncology and patient education.She completed dermatology residency at the Harvard Medical School Program beginning in June 2009, after her medical internship at Boston University Medical Center. She is interested in education and in conducting clinical outcomes research after her training in dermatology.

Linda Wang, MD, JD. Dr. Wang is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Physician at the Brigham & Women's Hospital. She currently serves as the Program Director for the Center for Cutaneous Oncology at the Dana-Farber / Brigham & Women's Cancer Center, where she is the Principal Investigator for the MCC database project. Her work on this project began while she was a Chief Resident at the University of Chicago Section of Dermatology and was funded by a 2004 Mentorship Award through the Women's Dermatologic Society (http://www.womensderm.org).

Some key Merkel team members (L to R) Isabel Longo, MD, PhD;

Linda Wang, MD, JD, and Sheela Gupta, MD.

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