Merkel cell cancer is very aggressive and even more aggressive than melanoma cancer.
Merkel cell carcinoma cancer is more aggressive and even more deadly than melanoma cancer.
Nearly 1/3 of all people diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma die of it even with treatment.
Merkel cell carcinoma appears as a rapidly growing and non painful red nodule which can quickly spread or metastasize.
The most common site of Merkel cell carcinoma is the trunk, legs, arms, neck and head or any areas of skin that are mostly exposed to the sun.
The odds of getting Merkel cell carcinoma are very low as Merkel cell carcinoma only occurs in 1 out of 130,000 people in the United States.
The risk factors that can increase your chance of getting Merkel cell carcinoma include weakened immune system, being over age 50, fair skin and too much sun exposure.
The average age for Merkel cell carcinoma is the ages of 65 to 74 years of age.
The life expectancy of a MCC or Merkel cell Carcinoma is 5 years after diagnoses.
The survival rate for Merkel cell carcinoma is a 5 year survival rate at 75 percent.
Merkel cell carcinoma starts most often in areas of skin exposed to the sun, especially the head and neck, as well as the arms, legs, and trunk.
The early signs of Merkel cell carcinoma are a fast growing spot or mass, growing sore, style or cyst, quickly growing firm, dome shaped growth, quickly growing spot on the skin that sometimes bleeds, reddish, slightly raised spot that looks like a sore, red or pink spot.
Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare form of skin cancer that usually appears as a single painless lump on sun exposed skin.
Merkel cell carcinoma skin cancer is also a very aggressive skin cancer that can appear as a painless, flesh-colored or bluish-red nodule growing on your skin.
The skin cancer Merkel cell carcinoma has a 5 year survival rate.
However the five-year survival rate for Merkel cell carcinoma is improving.
People with localized Merkel cell carcinoma have a 78% survival rate while those whose cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or other nearby structures have a 52% survival rate.
Merkel cell carcinoma tends to travel first to nearby lymph nodes.
Later it may spread to your brain, bones, liver or lungs, where it can interfere with the functioning of these organs.
Cancer that has metastasized is more difficult to treat and can be fatal.
Merkel cell carcinoma is frequently curable with surgical and nonsurgical therapies, particularly if caught early.
Treatments are often highly individualized, depending on a patient's general health, as well as the tumor's location, size, depth, and degree of spread.
Though Merkel cell carcinoma is 40-times more rare than melanoma, it tends to be much more aggressive, often recurring in patients.
Early detection, however, can make Merkel cell carcinoma cancer easier to treat.
75% of MCC patients are over the age of 65 years at time of diagnosis, with the average age for developing MCC being 74.
Merkel cell carcinoma is more deadly than melanoma, with approximately 1/3 of all diagnosed people dying from the disease.
It most often occurs in the elderly or those with a weakened immune system.
It appears as a rapidly growing, non painful red nodule that can quickly metastasize.
If the cancer is diagnosed after it has spread beyond the regional lymph nodes, an oncologist might recommend chemotherapy as a potential treatment option.
Chemotherapy medications destroy cells that divide at unusually rapid rates.
These medications may be injected into a vein or swallowed.
Merkel cell carcinoma starts most often in areas of skin exposed to the sun, especially the head and neck, as well as the arms, legs, and trunk.
Anatomy of the skin showing the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue.