News & Publications

The STAMP trial is currently recruiting participants at sites all across the country. This phase III trial studies how well pembrolizumab works compared to standard of care observation in treating patients with stage I-III Merkel cell cancer that has been completely removed by surgery (resect...

Aim: To evaluate changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a Phase II trial (NCT02155647) of treatment-naive patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma treated with avelumab (15-month follow-up). Materials & methods: Mixed-effect Models for Repeated Measures were applied to HRQo...

We are very excited to announce that this year we held our first ever online Merkel CELLebration in lieu of our annual Merkel Dinner. The event took place on Zoom on Monday, September 14, 2020 from 3-5 PM PDT. The event included a presentation of new research and clinical developments in MCC, as ...

Nghiem Lab research team demonstrates effectiveness of Single fraction adjuvant radiation therapy for treating patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). The team, consisting of investigators from UW Divisions of Dermatology and Medical Oncology and the Departments of Radiation Oncology Radiology, ...

Purpose: Conventionally fractionated, postoperative radiation therapy (cPORT; 50 Gy in 25 fractions) is considered for patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) to improve locoregional control. However, cPORT is associated with acute toxicity, especially in the head and neck (H&N) region, and r...

BACKGROUND: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) guidelines derive from melanoma and do not recommend baseline cross-sectional imaging for most patients. However, MCC is more likely to have metastasized at diagnosis than melanoma. OBJECTIVE: To determine how often baseline imaging identifies clinically occul...

For years, we have been encouraging patients to increase their amount of physical activity as an important part of their care plan. Here is a new study indicating that walking or other exercise actually lowers the chance of death from cancer, in addition to well-known benefits such as improving slee...

Dr. Paul Nghiem, professor and head of Dermatology at the University of Washington and expert in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), joins the Seattle Translational Tumor Research leadership team as the Deputy Director for Skin/Cutaneous Oncology. As a hub for collaboration and innovation, Seattle Trans...

Click below for a statement from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network regarding coordination of care during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Click below for a statement from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network regarding COVID-19 vaccination for cancer patients.  

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive skin cancer associated with a high risk of metastasis. In 2017, avelumab (anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)) became the first approved treatment for patients with metastatic MCC (mMCC), based on the occurrence of durable responses in...