Key Statistics for Merkel Cell Carcinoma (2024)

FAQs

Key Statistics for Merkel Cell Carcinoma? ›

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare form of cancer. In the U.S., approximately 2,500 people are diagnosed with the condition each year. However, the number of cases is rising, and is predicted to reach nearly 3,300 in 2025.

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light and other risk factors can cause these cells to become cancerous and grow uncontrollably. Merkel cell carcinoma tends to spread quickly to other parts of your body and often comes back after treatment.

Mature Merkel cells are detected within the basal layer of the epidermis at E17. They account for 2%–5% of total epidermal cells although their abundance varies between anatomical locations.

Factors strongly associated with the development of MCC include age over 65 years, fair skin, history of extensive sun exposure, chronic immune suppression (e.g., kidney or heart transplantation or HIV), and the Merkel cell.

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare form of cancer. In the U.S., approximately 2,500 people are diagnosed with the condition each year. However, the number of cases is rising, and is predicted to reach nearly 3,300 in 2025.

Asgari, MD, MPH, shares details about one of the most dangerous types of skin cancer. After battling skin cancer for four years before his death, "Margaritaville" singer Jimmy Buffett died on September 1, 2023, at age 76, from Merkel cell carcinoma, according to his website.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive form of skin cancer with a high risk for returning (recurring) and spreading (metastasizing), often within two to three years after initial diagnosis.

Jimmy Buffett, the singer-songwriter whose music celebrated the coastal life of sea, sand, and sun, died September 1 at age 75. The cause of death was a type of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. Here on the West Coast, we Californians should take note.

Merkel cell cancer (MCC) that has spread to other parts of the body. If MCC has spread to other parts of the body, treatment can often help control the cancer and ease symptoms, but these cancers are very hard to get rid of completely.

Evidence suggests that Merkel cell carcinoma does not run in families. Instead, the cellular DNA changes that cause it most likely to take place during the course of a person's lifetime.

What is the average age for Merkel cell carcinoma? ›

Most Americans diagnosed with MCC are older than age 70. And men are more likely to have it than women. More than 9 out of 10 Americans diagnosed with MCC are White. For survival statistics, see Survival Rates for Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

First, some good news: Merkel cell cancer is exceptionally uncommon. Roughly 1,600 cases occur in the US annually. But this rare skin cancer sometimes goes unnoticed initially. That's worrisome because it often metastasizes early — that is, spreads to other parts of the body such as the lungs and bones.

It most frequently presents on the head and neck region of elderly, white males. Specific risk factors include ultraviolet (UV) exposure, advancing age, and immunosuppression, and its development is associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) infection.

Merkel cell carcinoma is more deadly than melanoma, with approximately 1/3 of all diagnosed patients dying from the disease. It most often occurs in the elderly or those with a weakened immune system. It appears as a rapidly growing, non painful red nodule that can quickly metastasize.

Merkel cells, also known as Merkel–Ranvier cells or tactile epithelial cells, are oval-shaped mechanoreceptors essential for light touch sensation and found in the skin of vertebrates.

Merkel cells are specialized cells in the skin that are important for proper neural encoding of light touch stimuli. Conflicting evidence suggests that these cells are lineally descended from either the skin or the neural crest.

Merkel cell carcinoma can look like a sore

Grow quickly: It usually becomes noticeably bigger in a few weeks to months.