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Case Reports
. 2017 Jan 31;11(1):25.
doi: 10.1186/s13256-016-1189-8.

Merkel cell carcinoma occurring in a black woman: a case report

Selma Kadiri  1 , Abdellah Aissa  2 , Soufiane Berhili  2 , Mouna Khmou  3 , Sanaa Elmajjaoui  2 , Tayeb Kebdani  2 , Basma El Khannoussi  3 , Hanan Elkacemi  2 , Noureddine Benjaafar  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Merkel cell carcinoma occurring in a black woman: a case report

Selma Kadiri et al. J Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, very aggressive neuroectodermal tumor of the skin. It is typically located on sun-exposed skin and frequently found in white men aged between 70 and 80 years.

Case presentation: We report a case of a 58-year-old black woman diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma of the posterior face of the right elbow. She had biopsy excision and was lost to follow-up. Four months later, she presented with recurrent disease on the inferior third of the right arm with three ipsilateral axillary lymph node metastases. Amputation of the right arm and ipsilateral axillary lymph node dissection were performed, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. Six months later, the patient died as a result of respiratory failure caused by lung metastasis. To the best of our knowledge, no specific studies have been done comparing the course and the characteristics of Merkel cell carcinoma in white and black populations, and no similar case has been reported in the literature.

Conclusions: The Merkel cell carcinoma is very rare in black people. As described elsewhere in the literature, our patient had a poor outcome despite radical management. To date, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no comparison of the prognosis of this tumor in white and black populations.

Keywords: Dark skin; Elbow; Merkel cell carcinoma; Radiotherapy.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma. Typical low-power view of a small blue-cell tumor (hematoxylin and eosin stain, original magnification ×40). b Microphotograph showing pale-staining, small, round cell proliferation containing tiny nucleoli (hematoxylin and eosin stain, original magnification ×40)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
High-power view of the tumor showing strong expression of cytokeratin 20 (original magnification ×40)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
High-power view of the tumor showing strong expression of synaptophysin (original magnification ×40)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Contrast-enhanced, T1-weighted axial magnetic resonance imaging scan showing the process of the soft parts on the right arm
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Computed tomography slice showing a mass in the right axillary and subscapularis regions
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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