News & Publications

The first-ever therapeutic vaccine trial for Merkel cell carcinoma is set to start in April 2022, based in Seattle. This will be a small trial in only eight patients to initially check safety and whether the immune response targeting the Merkel cell polyomavirus is indeed increased in these patients...

We have also seen so many cases of delayed diagnosis of MCC due to unfounded fears of contracting COVID by visiting a physician’s office. It is important to seek appropriate medical care, even in these tricky times, as this dramatic example demonstrates.

"These data from 161 MCC patients in Poland very closely mirror what is seen in US studies that include careful analyses of management and disease recurrence. Specifically, 38% of MCC patients experienced a recurrence, and the fraction of patients whose sentinel lymph node biopsy was positive was on...

The immune system plays an important role in preventing the development and progression of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). As such, immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy (like Pembrolizumab or Avelumab) has become an excellent option for patients with advanced MCC. This study aimed to identify clin...

This is a presentation given by Paul Ngheim to University of Washington’s Department of Immunology. It is a scientific, detailed summary of how our understanding of the role of the immune system in Merkel cell carcinoma has developed over the past decade. It highlights how our current immune thera...

This case report showed that a personalized and tumor-informed (‘bespoke’) test for cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) could predict MCC treatment response in an MCC patient treated with Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) and hypofractionated radiation (HRT).

This study presents updated findings from the JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial after more than 5 years of follow-up. It clearly shows that patients with metastatic MCC (mMCC) who previously experienced disease progression following chemotherapy had meaningful long-term overall survival, unlike for chemother...

Dr. Mac Cheever was a true pioneer in immune therapy for cancer. His efforts have helped many patients with cancer, but particularly those with Merkel cell carcinoma, helping to lead to the approval of anti-PD1 for MCC. This tribute to his life details why he believed that immune therapy for cancer ...

The 2nd International Symposium on Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) will take place Monday, April 25, 2022, 7:00 AM - Tuesday, April 26, 2022, 4:00 PM at the University of Washington in Seattle. The symposium is designed to explore emerging data that may allow improvements in understand the basic biology...

These authors from Turkey have carefully described the outcomes of 89 MCC patients seen across 20 centers in Turkey between 1999 and 2018. They note that MCC recurred in 28% of patients who presented with local and or nodal disease, and that while rare, the incidence is increasing in Turkey.