News & Publications
The latest news and publications about Merkel cell carcinoma and merkelcell.org.
When Jimmy Carter took the drug pembrolizumab to treat his cancer, it had just been approved for people like him: those with advanced melanoma that had spread to other organs, such as the brain, liver and lungs. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug through an accelerated fast-tra...
Read more →NEW ORLEANS — New immunotherapy drugs are showing significant and extended effectiveness against a broadening range of cancers, including rare and intractable tumors often caused by viruses. Researchers say these advances suggest the treatment approach is poised to become a critical part of the na...
Read more →Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD—Head of Dermatology and George F. Odland Endowed Chair at the University of Washington became a passionate and committed explorer somewhat over 10 years ago when he took his first game-changing steps into the uncharted territory of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), the rare and hig...
Read more →VIENNA – High response rates to pembrolizumab and to intratumoral delivery of plasmid interleukin-12 (IL-12) were observed among patients with advanced Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), based on studies presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress. There is strong rationale for immunotherapy in MCC.
Read more →I HAVE a very rare and aggressive type of skin cancer — Merkel cell carcinoma — for which there is no approved cure, and I’m participating in a clinical trial to deal with it. If successful, the trial will show that the drug I’m being given at least manages what is now an often fatal disease...
Read more →Cruising with the windows down and the wind in their hair is how many people like to drive. But that open feeling could be costly. New research suggests that people in the USA are more likely to develop skin cancer, including melanoma and merkel cell carcinoma, on the left side of their bodies. Driv...
Read more →In the spring of 2005, George Campbell was vacationing with his wife in California when he noticed a bump on his left arm. The bump was colorless and painless, but it had not been there before. When the 57-year-old U.S. Air Force retiree returned home to South Carolina, his doctor lanced the growth,...
Read more →WASHINGTON — The deadliest form of skin cancer is a little-studied type you've probably never heard of. After he died, Martin Whatley's classic rock 'n' roll guitar became his last weapon against it. Whatley's frustrated widow carefully pulled the pristine 1964 Fender Stratocaster from under their...
Read more →Scientists have discovered a previously unknown virus and strongly linked it with the most aggressive form of skin cancer, they reported in a scientific journal on Thursday. The cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, tends to occur most often on the sun-exposed areas of the body like the face, the head and ...
Read more →ATLANTA--July 27, 2007 - A new American Cancer Society research grant honors the wishes of long-time Baltimore Orioles team photographer Jerry Wachter, who recognized the need for increased attention to a rare but dangerous form of skin cancer that took his life in 2005. The $30,000 two-year grant t...
Read more →