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Case Reports
. 2018 Aug 4;2018(8):rjy185.
doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjy185. eCollection 2018 Aug.

An unusual presentation of Merkel cell carcinoma: a case report

Raelina S Howell  1 , James A Rice  1 , Kristin Sticco  2 , Virginia Donovan  2 , Michael Castellano  1 , Brian Gillette  1 , Scott Gorenstein  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

An unusual presentation of Merkel cell carcinoma: a case report

Raelina S Howell et al. J Surg Case Rep. .

Abstract

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive carcinoma that usually arises in sun-exposed regions. MCC is a primary neuroendocrine tumor that arises in the skin. This report describes an unusual case of MCC on the buttocks that was treated with excision, radiation and chemotherapy. Physicians should consider MCC as a differential diagnosis when encountering a rapidly growing, painless lesion. Early diagnosis and treatment may improve patient survival rates.

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Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Computed tomography of pelvis. The left gluteal lesion with a foci of air (arrow) signifying possible infected versus necrotic material. Left inguinal lymphadenopathy also demonstrated (arrowhead).
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Left buttock lesion. Appearance of the wound following unroofing, drainage and incisional biopsy.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Postsurgical excision. Appearance of the excision site on postoperative day seven following partial closure with fasciocutaneous advancement flap and split-thickness skin grafting.
Figure 4:
Figure 4:
Histological results of excision. (A) ×10 Fibrotic cords (arrows) surrounding the MCC cells and central tumor necrosis (arrowhead). (B) ×40 Bland cell morphology (arrows) with a mix of fine, bland and powdery chromatin.
Figure 5:
Figure 5:
Healed wound. Appearance of the left buttock wound five months following complete MCC excision.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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