The passing of popular singer and song writer Jimmy Buffett, who died Friday at age 76 from Merkel cell carcinoma, has thrust this form of skin cancer into the spotlight. But what exactly is it?
Sept. 5, 2023 – You may have heard of the three most common forms of skin cancer -- basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma -- but there is a rarer and deadlier form known asThe passing of popular singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who died Friday at age 76 from Merkel cell carcinoma, has thrust this form of skin cancer into the spotlight.
The reason people with compromised immunity can be at greater risk is that Merkel cell carcinoma is, in about 80% cases, caused by a virus. That’s another way it differs from other skin cancers. The remaining 20% of cases are associated with sun exposure. In many cases, it’s the combination of these two factors that somehow lead to Merkel cell.
“There are genetic mutations that need to happen, and we now understand those quite well. The DNA of the virus needs to get into the cancer cell and get chopped up in a certain highly specific way, and then that leads to the cancer,” Nghiem said. If a biopsy comes back indicating this rare cancer, seek care at one of about a dozen specialty centers around the country if you can, Nghiem suggested.
A newer treatment strategy, immunotherapy, is a more targeted treatment based on a person’s unique genetic mutations. It can be more effective than traditional treatments like chemotherapy because chemotherapy tends to knock out the immune system, which again raises the risk for Merkel cell carcinoma.
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