Overview
Skin cancer patients, including those with Merkel cell carcinoma, are treated at the Multidisciplinary Skin Oncology Clinic at SCCA by a team of experienced physicians who are experts in surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and dermatology.
SCCA's team is well known for providing innovative new treatments for melanoma and other skin cancers, including vaccine protocols, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. They are assisted and supported by a nursing staff with extensive experience in taking care of the physical and emotional needs of skin cancer patients. Patients also have access to a social worker, a nutritional counselor, and a pain clinic.
Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare disease in which cancerous cells are found on or just beneath the skin. It usually appears as firm, painless, shiny lumps of skin that usually have rapidly increased in size just prior to diagnosis. These lumps or tumors can be red, pink, or blue and be as small as a quarter of an inch to more than two inches and are usually found on the sun-exposed areas of the head, neck, arms, and legs This disease occurs mostly in Caucasians who are over 60 years of age, but it can occur in people of other races and ages as well. It grows rapidly and often metastasizes (spreads) to other parts of the body. Even relatively small tumors are capable of metastasizing. When the disease spreads, it tends to spread to nearby lymph nodes and may also spread to the liver, bone, lungs, and brain.
