Management of an Unknown Primary Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report

Abstract

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) represents a rare skin cancer associated with sun exposure. It is an uncommon skin neoplasm of the elderly population. The majority of patients with MCC present with localized disease at diagnosis and few patients have regional lymph node (LN) involvement and distant metastases. Although it has been previously reported in various anatomical sites, LN metastatic MCC in the absence of a primary site is extremely rare and for this reason there is no standard approach to its management. Currently, there is no standard approach to the management of MCC in the absence of a primary site. Since the disease is highly aggressive and the failure rate following surgery alone is high, radiotherapy (RT) is usually administered as temporary support for numerous patients with MCC.




J Med Cases. 2018;9(3):103-105
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc3004w