According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, its “rare” status is about to become a thing of the past. Currently, there are 2,488 cases of Merkel cell cancer diagnosed in the United States each year, but researchers at the University of Washington predict that will jump to 3,284 cases by 2025.
To put it in perspective, they estimate that cases of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) are rising six times faster than other types of skin cancers and twice as fast as melanoma cases.
This is very scary; tumor is very hard to detect, very fast progressing and in most patients discovered very late. I hope we will find the way how to better screen patients, detect this problem earlier and have adequate chemotherapy to help treatment in advanced stages.