Dr. D’Angelo on the Incidence and Prognosis of Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Sandra P. D’Angelo, MD, medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the incidence and prognosis of patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC).

MCC is a rare cancer that affects approximately 1,000 to 2,000 individuals in the United States each year, says D’Angelo. However, like many skin malignancies, the incidence of MCC is rising, D’Angelo explains.

Surgical excision of the tumor remains the standard of care for patients who present with localized MCC, D’Angelo says. Although this is an appropriate course of treatment, a proportion of patients will have disease recurrence and metastasis, D’Angelo explains. Notably, significant research advances have been made in the metastatic setting in recent years for this patient population, concludes D’Angelo.