• 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 170 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 100 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 the 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 10 institutions to pool resources and expertise on this challenging cancer.

Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD

	Kelly Garneski [email] Graduate Student Kelly joined our team in June, 2006. She is an MD/PhD student who will focus on understanding the genetics of MCC for her PhD thesis, building the foundation for a career in translational medicine.
	Erin Higgins [email] Undergraduate Research Assistant Erin joined our team in February, 2007. She is a senior at the University of Washington studying Microbiology and Spanish, and she plans to go to medical school after she graduates. She is investigating the role of the Merkel cell polyomavirus in MCC.
	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.
	Bianca Lemos, MD [email] Research Fellow Bianca joined our team in July, 2006. She has been involved with patient management and has been managing the clinical patient database. She will begin a Dermatology Residency in July, 2009.
	Heather Sloan, RN [email] Research Nurse/Scientist Heather joined our team in June, 2008. She has been a nurse for over 10 years and recently graduated from the University of Washington. She is helping enroll patients in the different aspects of our research studies.
	Renee Thibodeau [email] Research Assistant 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.
	Lisa Evans [email] Patient Care Coordinator Please contact Lisa Evans if you would like to make an appointment for consultation wtih Dr. Nghiem at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. phone: 206-288-6542

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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 will be a dermatology resident at the Harvard Medical School Program beginning in July 2006, after completing 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 Instructor in 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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