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Experts Discuss Treatment Options for Skin Cancer Cases

by Thomas R. Collins •

She acknowledged that, at this point, “I don’t think [Merkel cell carcinoma] is easy to understand.”

Thomas Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.

Take-Home points

  • The incidence of melanoma in the U.S. in 2012 was one in 36 people, a significant increase over the 1960 rate of one in 600.
  • Desmoplastic melanomas have a high local aggression rate, so wide margins are often the best option for treatment.
  • For patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma, the best therapeutic option might be a clinical trial.
  • NCCN guidelines put forth many options for the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma, but there still is usually a role for sentinel node biopsy and radiation in these cases.