Merkel Cell Tumor of the Head and Neck Five New Cases With Literature Review

Merkel cell carcinoma co‐existent with sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid

“…Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare and aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine neoplasm with poor prognosis caused by high incidence of local recurrence and metastasis. It usually affects the sun‐exposed skin of the elderly, especially in the head and neck region, and the eyelid is most commonly affected 6 . Occasional patients present with multiple tumors, but we consider that one of the tumor nodules of Merkel cell carcinoma in the present case represented in‐transit metastasis from the other lesion.…”

Treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma

“…A more recent review of 321 patients with head and neck Merkel cell carcinoma, plus the authors' 5 cases, showed that the cheek and eyelids are the most common sites, totaling 47%. 4 Detailed analysis of 89 cases by these authors showed 45 men and 44 women, average age 72.1 years, average size 2 cm, 11% nodal metastasis at presentation, 37% local recurrence, 48% regional metastasis, 21% both local recurrence and regional metastasis, and 28% distant metastasis. Table 2 compares the patterns of relapse and survival rates from several studies.…”

Diagnostic relevance of chromosomal in‐situ hybridization in Merkel cell carcinoma: targeted interphase cytogenetic tumour analyses

“…9,[31][32][33][34] The antigen profile and ultrastructure alone do not always suffice for a clear distinction between MCC and SCLC. Both tumours not only express positivity for the same markers, 10,15,25,35,36 but also they often reveal ultrastructurally dense-core neurosecretory-type granules. [37][38][39] This shows the dilemma in the distinction between them using only immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy, especially in cases like this presentation where, due to the thoracic and pleural locations, either MCC or SCLC was probable.…”