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DiscussionMerkel Cell Carcinoma: I'd like to hear from others
Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs) | Last Active: Oct 20 7:30pm | Replies (133)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "Thank you so much for sharing! I have Merkel that was found just under my left..."
I can't offer much on therapies after surgery to remove the cancer as my treatment has been limited to monitoring (a series of CT scans, x-rays and blood work every three months for the first two years just ended and now every four months for the next three years). We discussed radiation after the excision surgery but my cancer board decided after I was fitted with the mask for radiation that it was not needed because the second round of pathology on the tissue taken in the excision was completely clear, as was my lymph node, and the diameter of the original mass was just under the threshold for radiation for a stage 0. Somehow (fortunately) my dermatologist got the entire mass on the first try when he removed what he sent to the lab for the first biopsy and it hadn't had time to grow much. For what it's worth, I'm a 67 year old white male (the biggest patient group is older white males as I gather) but when I asked about chances of recurrence given my extensive history of melanoma and other assorted skin cancers, my doctors said that unlike the odds for recurrence of melanoma for me since I've already had two, there aren't enough data for Merkel Cell cases to draw any strong correlations or give odds on recurrence - hence the long schedule of follow-up scans, etc. I think the most frustrating part of this for me and I'm sure others is the uncertainty of typical outcomes, because of the limited research when compared to the literature on other skin cancer types. Good luck with your treatment!