An Unusual Clinical Presentation of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report
Introduction. Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine cell carcinoma arising in the sun-exposed skin of elderly patients. Most of these tumors are located in the dermis. An unusual clinical presentation of such a tumor in the subcutis, if not biopsied, may be easily mistaken as a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2010-01-01
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| Series: | Case Reports in Medicine |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/905414 |
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| author | Deba P. Sarma Dawn E. Heagley Julianne Chalupa Meredith Cox James M. Shehan |
| author_facet | Deba P. Sarma Dawn E. Heagley Julianne Chalupa Meredith Cox James M. Shehan |
| author_sort | Deba P. Sarma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction. Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine cell carcinoma arising in the sun-exposed skin of elderly patients. Most of these tumors are located in the dermis. An unusual clinical presentation of such a tumor in the subcutis, if not biopsied, may be easily mistaken as a benign lesion. Case Presentation. An 83-year-old white woman presented with a several-month history of a painless 7 mm subcutaneous mass that was initially thought to be a lipoma. A conservative follow-up was planned. At the insistence of the patient, an excisional biopsy of the mass was performed revealing a subcutaneous Merkel cell carcinoma. The tumor cells stained positively for CK 20, chromogranin, and synaptophysin. No other primary or metastatic tumors found after a thorough work-up. The patient was treated with local irradiation. She remains disease free at her six-month follow-up visit. Conclusion. When a new growth is encountered in the sun-exposed skin of elderly patients, a biopsy is warranted even if the lesion clinically appears benign. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-910398e806244d0c9b251fa89e219083 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-9627 1687-9635 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2010-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Reports in Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-910398e806244d0c9b251fa89e2190832025-02-03T05:46:01ZengWileyCase Reports in Medicine1687-96271687-96352010-01-01201010.1155/2010/905414905414An Unusual Clinical Presentation of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case ReportDeba P. Sarma0Dawn E. Heagley1Julianne Chalupa2Meredith Cox3James M. Shehan4Department of Pathology, Creighton University Medical Center (DPS, DEH, JC, MC), Omaha, NE 68131, USADepartment of Pathology, Creighton University Medical Center (DPS, DEH, JC, MC), Omaha, NE 68131, USADepartment of Pathology, Creighton University Medical Center (DPS, DEH, JC, MC), Omaha, NE 68131, USADepartment of Pathology, Creighton University Medical Center (DPS, DEH, JC, MC), Omaha, NE 68131, USADepartment of Dermatology (JMS), Bergan Mercy Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68124, USAIntroduction. Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine cell carcinoma arising in the sun-exposed skin of elderly patients. Most of these tumors are located in the dermis. An unusual clinical presentation of such a tumor in the subcutis, if not biopsied, may be easily mistaken as a benign lesion. Case Presentation. An 83-year-old white woman presented with a several-month history of a painless 7 mm subcutaneous mass that was initially thought to be a lipoma. A conservative follow-up was planned. At the insistence of the patient, an excisional biopsy of the mass was performed revealing a subcutaneous Merkel cell carcinoma. The tumor cells stained positively for CK 20, chromogranin, and synaptophysin. No other primary or metastatic tumors found after a thorough work-up. The patient was treated with local irradiation. She remains disease free at her six-month follow-up visit. Conclusion. When a new growth is encountered in the sun-exposed skin of elderly patients, a biopsy is warranted even if the lesion clinically appears benign.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/905414 |
| spellingShingle | Deba P. Sarma Dawn E. Heagley Julianne Chalupa Meredith Cox James M. Shehan An Unusual Clinical Presentation of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report Case Reports in Medicine |
| title | An Unusual Clinical Presentation of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report |
| title_full | An Unusual Clinical Presentation of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report |
| title_fullStr | An Unusual Clinical Presentation of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Unusual Clinical Presentation of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report |
| title_short | An Unusual Clinical Presentation of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report |
| title_sort | unusual clinical presentation of merkel cell carcinoma a case report |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/905414 |
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