Merkel cells feel and detect light touch and transmit the light touch signals to sensory neurons which then relay the signals to your brain.
Merkel cell carcinoma will most often appear as flesh colored, or bluish-red nodules that grow on the skin and are usually painless.
Merkel cell is removed through surgery and a wide excision if medications and chemo has not worked to cure the Merkel cell carcinoma.
The surgeon will cut out the Merkel cell carcinoma tumor along with some of the normal skin at the edges.
Merkel cell carcinoma cancer is an extremely rare type of skin cancer.
Merkel cell carcinoma takes on average of 2 years to 3 years to spread and metastasize after diagnoses.
The best place for treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma is the Dana Farber Brigham Cancer Center Merkel Cell Carcinoma Center of Excellence.
The life expectancy of someone with Merkel cell carcinoma is around 5 years although some people have lived a bit longer and some people have died within 1 to years of being diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma.
Merkel cell carcinoma is terminal even with treatment.
Merkel cell is more aggressive than melenoma although melenoma is also pretty aggressive.
Merkel cell carcinoma grows more rapidly and spreads more quickly to other parts of the body as well.
The stages of Merkel cell carcinoma are.
Stage I Merkel cell carcinoma which is primary lesions less than or equal to 2 centimeters.
Stage II Merkel cell carcinoma which are primary lesions greater than 2 cm.
Stage III Merkel cell carcinoma which is defined as disease that involves nearby lymph nodes (regional lymph nodes).
Stage IV Merkel cell carcinoma disease is found beyond regional lymph nodes.
The new treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma is retifanlimab-dlwr.
Other conditions that can be mistaken for Merkel cell carcinoma are small cell carcinoma of the skin, lymphoma, malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.
The age that people get Merkel cell carcinoma is between the ages of 65 to 74 years of age.
The mortality rate for Merkel cell carcinoma is 40 percent to 50 percent with a 78 to 80 percent survival rate.
The recurrence rate of Merkel cell carcinoma is 40 percent with 90 percent of the Merkel cell carcinoma cancers reoccurring within the first 3 years.
The amount of people that are diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma are around 3,000 people in the United States each year.
Merkel cell carcinoma cancer is very rare but if caught soon enough it can be cured in most cases.
Merkel cell carcinoma cancer does not go away on it's own and requires treatment to cure.
If caught soon enough and treated the Merkel cell carcinoma can be treated and cured but it may still come back.
With Merkel cell carcinoma you don't always feel ill or even feel any pain although in some cases Merkel cell carcinoma make cause fatigue and tiredness when it progresses and gets worse.
Merkel cell carcinoma is much worse than melanoma as Merkel cell carcinoma is much more aggressive and more deadly than Melanoma cancer.
The Merkel cell carcinoma cancer is removed using the Mohs technique and through a biopsy and then the Merkel Cell carcinoma cancer tumor is looked at under a microscope in a lab.
If cancer cells are discovered at the edges of the removed tissue then another layer of skin will be removed and also examined.
The Merkel cell cancer is diagnosed through a skin biopsy where the doctor will remove a sample of the tumor or remove the tumor from the skin.
The tumor is then sent to a laboratory to be analyzed and look for any signs of cancer.
The doctor will also examine your skin and look for any unusual signs of unusual moles, growths, freckles and other pigmented spots.
You do sometimes need chemo for Merkel cell carcinoma, especially if the Merkel cell carcinoma cancer has spread to other organs.
Sometimes anti cancer medications or surgery can be done to treat and cure Merkel cell carcinoma but in some rare cases chemotherapy may be needed to kill off the Merkel cell carcinoma cancer.
The new treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma is retifanlimab-dlwr which is an anti cancer medication also sold under the brand name of Zynz.
Merkel cell carcinoma cancer is around 80 to 90 percent curable with surgical treatment and non surgical treatment if caught soon enough.
Merkel cell carcinoma can most often be cured if it's found early enough.
The longer the Merkel cell carcinoma is left undiagnosed and left untreated the harder it becomes to cure the Merkel Cell Carcinoma cancer.
Merkel cell carcinoma cancer is terminal and even with treatment you can still die from Merkel cell carcinoma cancer just like you can with other cancers.
The people who are most affected by Merkel cell carcinoma are people between the ages of 65 to 74 years of age and the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
Merkel cell carcinoma cancer spreads very fast and spreads and grows rapidly over a period of only 2 weeks to 4 weeks.
Merkel cell carcinoma does spread fast and spreads faster than melanoma cancer and is more aggressive as well.
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.