Mohs surgery:<\/strong> Because MCC often develops on the face and other areas with little fat, Mohs (pronounced “Moes”) surgery may be recommended. This specialized surgery is used only to treat skin cancer. This surgery allows the Mohs surgeon to remove less healthy looking tissue.<\/p>During Mohs surgery, the Mohs surgeon cuts out the tumor plus a very small amount of healthy looking tissue surrounding the tumor. While the patient waits, the Mohs surgeon uses a microscope to look at what was removed. The surgeon is looking for cancer cells.<\/p>
If the Mohs surgeon finds cancer cells in the healthy looking tissue, the surgeon will remove another small amount of healthy looking tissue and look at it under the microscope. This process continues until the surgeon no longer sees cancer cells.<\/p>
MCC can grow deep, so some patients need reconstructive surgery. This surgery is usually performed immediately after the cancer surgery.<\/p>
Lymphadenectomy:<\/strong> This is surgery to remove lymph nodes. This surgery is also called lymph node dissection.<\/p>Radiation treatments:<\/strong> This is often part of the treatment plan for MCC because this cancer has a high risk of returning after surgery. Studies show that radiation treatments reduce the risk of MCC returning. Patients usually begin radiation treatments within 4 weeks of having surgery to remove the cancer.<\/p>Radiation treatments also are given to patients who cannot undergo surgery. Findings from a study suggest that radiation alone can be an effective treatment.<\/p>
Some patients receive radiation treatments to help them feel more comfortable. Your doctor may refer to this as palliative therapy. This therapy does not treat the disease. It helps people feel better.<\/p>
Most patients receive radiation treatments in a hospital or outpatient facility. The treatments are usually given 5 days a week, Monday through Friday, for 5 weeks.\u00a0<\/p>
Chemotherapy:<\/strong> Doctors recommend chemotherapy for some patients who have MCC that has spread beyond the skin and lymph nodes. Chemotherapy treats the cancer with drugs that can kill the cancer cells.<\/p>Clinical trial:<\/strong> Some patients are encouraged to join a clinical trial. A clinical trial is a type of research study. This study tests how well new a treatment or a new way of treating a disease works. For some patients joining a clinical trial may be the best treatment option.<\/p>What is the outcome for patients with MCC?<\/strong><\/p>MCC is an aggressive cancer. It can return after treatment. It often returns within the first 6 to 12 months after diagnosis. For this reason, it is essential to keep all follow-up appointments with your doctors.<\/p>
On a positive note, findings from a research study show that patients who do not have cancer in their lymph nodes have an excellent prognosis (outcome). Patients who have stage I, II, or III MCC tend to do better than patients who have MCC that has spread beyond the lymph nodes.<\/p>
Merkel cell carcinoma: Tips for managing<\/h3>
Findings from research studies suggest that patients treated for Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) should:<\/p>
1. \u00a0 \u00a0Keep all follow-up appointments with your doctors.<\/strong> MCC is an aggressive skin cancer. It can return after treatment. For this reason, doctors who have expertise in treating MCC recommend:\u00a0<\/p>- Every patient treated for MCC needs a follow-up visit every 3 to 6 months for the first 2 years.<\/li>
- After 2 years of cancer-free exams, the patient should return every 6 to 12 months for a complete exam.<\/li>
- Each exam should include a complete skin exam and an exam of certain lymph nodes.<\/li><\/ul>
These follow-up visits help find skin cancer in the earliest stage. The sooner the cancer is found and treated, the better the outcome.<\/p>
2. \u00a0 \u00a0Perform skin self-exams as often as your dermatologist recommends.<\/strong> If you have received treatment for MCC, it is essential that you learn how to perform a skin self-exam. Your dermatologist or someone in your dermatologist\u2019s office can teach you exactly what you need to know, including how to examine certain lymph nodes.\u00a0<\/p>Contact your dermatologist immediately if you find any new growth or rough patch on your skin; or feel a change in your lymph nodes.<\/em><\/p>3. \u00a0 \u00a0Protect your skin from the sun. If you have had MCC, you must always protect your skin from the sun. The sun\u2019s rays damage skin. Your dermatologist can offer you specific tips that meet your needs.\u00a0<\/p>
4. \u00a0 \u00a0Ask your doctors what else you can do to improve your outcome. Some doctors recommend eating a healthy diet and exercising to keep the immune system strong. Getting enough sleep also is important. Be sure to ask your doctors what could help you.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What is Merkel cell carcinoma? Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare skin cancer. It is also an aggressive skin cancer. MCC is considered aggressive because it can: Grow quickly and spread. Return after treatment. Because MCC is aggressive, doctors recommend prompt treatment. The sooner this skin cancer is treated the better the outcome. Cases […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_glsr_average":0,"_glsr_ranking":0,"_glsr_reviews":0},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=565"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":567,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565\/revisions\/567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}