WASHINGTON, D.C. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Merkel cell carcinoma is a lethal skin cancer connected to the neuroendocrine system through nerve endings in the skin. It frequently spreads into the lymph nodes then, the lungs and brain. Singer Jimmy Buffett recently passed away from this mysterious skin cancer that strikes very few, but is often fatal for those who get it.
Fans of singer Jimmy Buffett were stunned last September by his sudden death. It was later revealed Buffett had actually been suffering for four years from a rare but aggressive form of skin cancer – Merkel cell carcinoma – it strikes just three thousand people a year.
“If we see one a month, we would say that would be highly unlikely,” says Associate Professor of Dermatology & Medical Oncology at George Washington University, Vishal Anil Patel, MD.
But when the diagnosis is Merkel cell, George Washington University’s surgical team takes immediate action.
Dr. Patel adds, “So, we take that because we know that Merkel cell tends to be more aggressive and we want to make sure we get everything out so that it can’t spread elsewhere.”
Merkel cell carcinoma can be caused by age or a weakened immune system, but is often triggered by sun exposure.
“As patients get older, and we have a lot more of a sun worshipping culture, had those years of sun worshipping, and Jimmy Buffett was certainly a sun worshipper, that puts you at higher risk, potentially, for that,” Dr. Patel mentions.
If caught early, the five-year survival rate is 75 percent but if it spreads, that plunges to 24 percent. White males are most often stricken, and it has a tendency to return.
Dr. Patel says, “What’s unusual is that patients can be treated for their Merkel cell and be doing okay, and then, a few years later, find out that it had spread to multiple different sites, and they just didn’t know.”
Dr. Patel reminds people, if you see a spot that you’re concerned about, go ahead and get it checked by a dermatologist.
Contributors to this news report include: Donna Parker, Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Sharon Dennis, Editor.
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Sources:
https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/merkel-cell-carcinoma/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36466754/
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: THE RARE SKIN CANCER THAT KILLED JIMMY BUFFETT
REPORT: MB #5342
BACKGROUND: Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare and aggressive type of skin cancer that typically develops in the Merkel cells, which are located in the skin’s top layer. Merkel cells are involved in the sense of touch and are part of the skin’s neuroendocrine system. Only about 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma every year, and is most common in white males. The number of cases has been rising over the past few years.
(Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/merkel-cell-carcinoma/symptoms-causes/syc-20351030
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/merkel-cell-skin-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
DIAGNOSING: Signs and symptoms of Merkel cell carcinoma include, but are not limited to: lumps on the face, neck, arms, eyelids, legs, or torso. The lumps could be the size of a dime and grow quickly, are raised, firm, itchy, and look similar to a pimple or insect bite, red-ish or purple-ish, and/or tender/sore. Doctors can usually diagnose Merkel cell carcinoma with a full-body exam or a skin biopsy. Risk factors for Merkel cell carcinoma include: excessive sun exposure, having other types of skin cancers, using a tanning bed, receiving light therapy, a weakened immune system, and/or taking transplant medications.
(Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17971-merkel-cell-carcinoma)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: The FDA recently approved a new treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma, called Retifanlimab-dlwr. According to Professor of Dermatology & Medical Oncology at George Washington University, Vishal A. Patel, MD, “if Merkel cell carcinoma is caught early, the five-year survival rate is 75 percent but if it spreads, that plunges to 24 percent. White males are most often stricken, and it has a tendency to return.”
Vishal A. Patel, MD, Professor of Dermatology & Medical Oncology at George Washington Universty)
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