Description

Merkel cell Carcinoma is a rare type of skin cancer. More often appears as a bump on the face, head, or neck. Merkel cell Carcinoma is also called neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin.

Merkel cell Carcinoma most often occurs in people older than 50 years. Prolonged exposure to the sun or a weakened immune system may increase the risk of developing this type of cancer.

Merkel cell Carcinoma tends to grow fast and to spread quickly to other parts of the body. The treatment may depend on whether the cancer has spread beyond the skin.

Symptoms

The first symptom of Merkel cell carcinoma is most often a growth on the skin. This skin cancer can occur in any part of the body. Occurs most often in the skin that normally puts on the light of the sun. In whites, the growth is more likely to be in the head or neck. In Black people, the growth is more common in the legs.

A Merkel cell carcinoma can cause:

  • A lump on the skin which is often painless.
  • A lump that is growing rapidly.
  • A pothole, whose two sides do not match.
  • A lump that looks pink, purple, red-brown, or the same color as the skin around it.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with a health care professional if you have a mole, freckle or bump that changes size, shape or color. Also consult a health care professional if you have a lump that grows fast or bleed easily after minor injuries, such as the washing of the skin or shaving.

Causes

Often it is not clear what causes Merkel cell carcinoma.

This skin cancer that occurs when cells in the skin to develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell the cell what to do. In healthy cells, the DNA contains the instructions to grow and multiply at a set rate. The instructions that tell cells to die at a set time.

In cancer cells, changes in DNA gives other instructions. The changes tell cancer cells to grow and multiply at a rapid pace. Cancer cells can continue living when healthy cells would die. This makes too many cells.

The cancer cells may form a mass called a tumor. The tumor can grow to invade and destroy healthy body tissue. At the time, cancer cells can break off and spread to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads, it is called metastatic cancer.

Merkel cell Carcinoma is the name of the cells where the experts once thought it started. The Merkel cells are located in the lower part of the outer layer of the skin. The Merkel cells are connected to the nerve endings in the skin that play a role in the sense of touch. The health professionals because they do not believe that this type of cancer starts in the cells of Merkel. We don't know exactly what type of cells starts in.

Often it is not clear what are the causes of the changes in DNA that lead to Merkel cell carcinoma. Researchers have found that a common virus plays a role in the cause of Merkel cell carcinoma. The virus, called Merkel cell polyomavirus, lives on the skin. Does not cause symptoms. The experts don't know exactly how this virus cause of Merkel cell carcinoma.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase the risk of Merkel cell carcinoma are:

  • Skin burns easily.Any person of any skin color can get Merkel cell carcinoma. But it is more common in people who have less melanin in the skin. Melanin is a substance that gives color to the skin. It also helps to protect the skin from the harmful rays of the sun. People with brown or Black skin have more melanin than people with white skin. So white people are more likely to get Merkel cell carcinoma that they are people with Black or brown skin.
  • Too much UV light. Ultraviolet light, also called UV light, increases the risk of Merkel cell carcinoma. The UV light can come from the sun. Being in the sun without covering your skin with clothing or sunscreen increases the risk of Merkel cell carcinoma. The UV light to treat the skin condition psoriasis can also increase the risk of skin cancer.
  • Tanning bed use. People who use indoor tanning beds have a higher risk of Merkel cell carcinoma.
  • A weakened immune system. People with weakened immune systems are more likely to get Merkel cell carcinoma. A weakened immune system may occur in people with certain health conditions, such as HIV infection and chronic leukemia. It can also occur in people who take certain medications, such as medications that decrease the immune response.
  • The history of other skin cancers. Merkel cell Carcinoma is linked to other skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
  • Advanced age. The risk of Merkel cell carcinoma rises with age. This cancer is more common in people older than 50 years, although it can occur at any age.

Skin burns easily. Any person of any skin color can get Merkel cell carcinoma. But it is more common in people who have less melanin in the skin. Melanin is a substance that gives color to the skin. It also helps to protect the skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

People with brown or Black skin have more melanin than people with white skin. So white people are more likely to get Merkel cell carcinoma that they are people with Black or brown skin.

Complications

Even with treatment, Merkel cell carcinoma often spreads to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads, the health care professionals often say that metastasizes. Merkel cell Carcinoma tends to travel first to the lymph nodes nearby.

Later it may spread to the brain, bones, liver or lungs. You can do these organs work as they should. The cancer spreading is more difficult to treat and can be fatal.

Prevention

While exposure to sunlight is not shown that they are the cause of all carcinomas, Merkel cell, which was thought to be a risk factor for this cancer. Have less exposure to the sun can reduce your risk of skin cancer.

Try:

Stay out of the sun in the middle of the day

For a large part of North America, the sun's rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Plan to be outdoors at other times of the day, even during the winter or when the sky is cloudy. When you are out, stay in the shade as much as possible.

Use sunscreen all year

The use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, even on cloudy days. Apply sunscreen generously. Re-apply every two hours, or more often if you're swimming or perspiring.

Wear protective clothing

To protect your skin from the sun, the wear and tear of the dark, tightly woven clothing that covers the arms and legs. Wear a wide-brimmed hat that shades the face and ears.

Don't forget the sunglasses. Look for sunglasses that block both types of uv light, also called UV light, which comes from the sun. The two types are the UVA and UVB rays.

Check your skin often

Look at your skin often for new growths or changes in moles, freckles, bumps and birthmarks. Use mirrors for checking your face, neck, ears and scalp. Report any changes to your health professional.

Although Merkel cell carcinoma, most frequently on the face, head and neck, look at other areas of her body. Look at your chest and trunk, and upper and lower part of the arms and hands. Look in the front and the back of her legs and feet. Look at the bottom of the feet and the spaces between the toes. Also make sure that your genital area and between your buttocks.

Diagnosis

Merkel cell Carcinoma diagnosis often begins with a review. A health professional can look at your skin and remove a sample of cells for testing. This skin cancer can be difficult to diagnose because it can mimic other tumors of the skin.

Physical examination

During a physical exam, a health care professional is seen in the skin of moles, freckles and other neoplasms.

Biopsy

A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for testing in a lab. For Merkel cell carcinoma, a health care professional can use a tool to cut out some of the referents of the skin. Other ways of making a skin biopsy involves the use of a razor tool or a circular cutting tool to get some of the skin. The sample is analyzed in a laboratory to see if it is cancer.

Tests for cancer that spreads

Your health care professional may use other tests to find out if the cancer has spread beyond your skin. These tests may include:

  • The sentinel lymph node biopsy.A sentinel lymph node biopsy is a procedure to see if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. This procedure consists of placing a dye in the skin near the cancer. The dye then flows through the lymphatic system to the lymph nodes. The first of the lymph nodes that get the dye is called the sentinel lymph nodes. A health care professional removes these lymph nodes and seen by the cancer cells look under a microscope.
  • Imaging tests. Imaging tests used to look for signs that the cancer has spread to include an x-ray, a ct scan of the chest and belly, and a positron emission tomography scan, also called a PET.

The sentinel lymph node biopsy. A sentinel lymph node biopsy is a procedure to see if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. This procedure consists of placing a dye in the skin near the cancer. The dye then flows through the lymphatic system to the lymph nodes.

The first of the lymph nodes that get the dye is called the sentinel lymph nodes. A health care professional removes these lymph nodes and seen by the cancer cells look under a microscope.

Treatment

Treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma most often consists of surgery to remove the cancer. If the cancer has spread beyond the skin, the treatment may include medications or radiation.

Surgery

The surgeon removes the cancer along with a rim of skin that does not have cancer. For cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes near the cancer of the skin, the surgeon removes the lymph nodes. This is called a lymph node dissection.

The surgery most often involves a scalpel to cut out the cancer. Sometimes, a surgeon may use a procedure called Mohs surgery.

Mohs surgery involves the cutting of thin layers of the skin. The surgeon uses a microscope to look at each layer for the cancer. The process continues until there are no more cases of cancer. The goal of Mohs surgery is to remove all of the cancer without damaging the healthy skin around it.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy treats cancer with powerful rays of energy. For Merkel cell carcinoma, a health professional may use radiation therapy after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that remain. The radiation may be the only treatment for people who do not want to undergo surgery. The radiation can also treat cancer that has spread.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy for cancer is a treatment with a medication that helps the body's immune system destroys the cancer cells. The immune system fights diseases by attacking the germs and other cells that should not be in the body. Cancer cells survive by hiding from the immune system. Immunotherapy helps the cells of the immune system find and kill cancer cells.

Most often, the immunotherapy is Merkel cell carcinoma that comes back after treatment, or extends to other areas of the body.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy treats the cancer with strong medications. Health professionals tend not to use chemotherapy to treat Merkel cell carcinoma. But your health care team may suggest that if the Merkel cell carcinoma spreads to the lymph nodes or other organs, or if it recurs after treatment.

Preparing for your appointment

If you have a mole, freckle or lump on the skin which worries you, start by making an appointment with a health care professional. For skin cancer, it is likely to be sent to a specialist of the skin, it is called a dermatologist.

Here's some information to help you prepare for your appointment.

What you can do

Ask a family member or friend to go with you to help you remember the information that is obtained.

Make a list of:

  • Your symptoms and when they began. Include any that doesn't seem linked to the reason he made the appointment.
  • Key of the personal information. Include the major stresses or recent life changes.
  • The medical information. Include other terms or conditions that run in your family.
  • All medications, vitamins or supplements you take. Include the dose.
  • Questions to ask your health care professional.

For Merkel cell carcinoma, the questions may include:

  • What is likely causing my symptoms or condition?
  • There are other possible causes of your symptoms or condition?
  • What tests do I need?
  • What treatments are there?
  • I have other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
  • Are there brochures or other printed material I can have? What websites do you suggest?

Be sure to ask all the questions that you have.

What to expect from your doctor

Your health care team is likely to ask you questions, such as:

  • How the symptoms changed over time?
  • Is there something to improve the symptoms?
  • It has been a long time in the sun, or have been used tanning beds?
  • Do you have a history of other skin conditions, such as skin cancer or psoriasis? What treatments have been used for these conditions?
  • Have you been diagnosed with any immune system conditions? If so, what treatments have you used?
Symptoms and treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma