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Tractable tumors

Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merkel Cell Carcinoma is a rare skin cancer that originates from the neuroendocrine cells of the skin. Typically, it has an aggressive clinical course. There are many factors interacting in the development of this neoplasm, both genetic and environmental. The association with the exposure to ultraviolet solar radiation is well described and the incidence of this tumor is 100 times greater in elderly people and in patients with various immune system deficits. In most cases, this neoplasm is also associated with the presence of the genome of a virus, the Merkel Cell Polyomavirus, in the tumor cells.

Traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, were burdened by poor long-term efficacy, therefore Merkel Cell Carcinoma was considered, before the availability of immunotherapeutic drugs, a treatment orphan pathology. The increasing data showing the efficacy of immune checkpoint antibodies in this pathology support further studies aiming at further improving therapeutic perspectives for these patients.