• 1  Toker C. Trabecular carcinoma of the skin. Arch Dermatol 1972;105(1):10710. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 2  Rywlin AM. Malignant Merkel‐cell tumor is a more accurate description than trabecular carcinoma. Am J Dermatopathol 1982;4(6):51315. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 3  Tilling T, Moll I. Which are the cells of origin in merkel cell carcinoma? J Skin Cancer 2012, doi: 10.1155/2012/680410. Pubmed link
  • 4  Van Keymeulen A, Mascre G, Youseff KK, et al. Epidermal progenitors give rise to Merkel cells during embryonic development and adult homeostasis. J Cell Biol 2009;187(1):91100. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 5  Zur Hausen A, Rennspiess D, Winnepenninckx V, Speel E‐JM, Kurz AK. Early B‐cell differentiation in Merkel cell carcinomas: clues to cellular ancestry. Cancer Res 2013;73(16):49827. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 6  Agelli M, Clegg LX, Becker JC, Rollison DE. The etiology and epidemiology of merkel cell carcinoma. Curr Probl Cancer 2010;34(1):1437. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 7  Girschik J, Thorn K, Beer TW, Heenan PJ, Fritschi L. Merkel cell carcinoma in Western Australia: a population‐based study of incidence and survival. Br J Dermatol 2011;165(5):10517. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 8  Reichgelt BA, Visser O. Epidemiology and survival of Merkel cell carcinoma in the Netherlands. A population‐based study of 808 cases in 1993–2007. Eur J Cancer 2010;47(4):57985. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 9  Kaae J, Hansen AV, Biggar RJ, et al. Merkel cell carcinoma: incidence, mortality, and risk of other cancers. J Natl Cancer Inst 2010;102(11):793801. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 10  Albores‐Saavedra J, Batich K, Chable‐Montero F, Sagy N, Schwartz AM, Henson DE. Merkel cell carcinoma demographics, morphology, and survival based on 3870 cases: a population based study. J Cutan Pathol 2010;37(1):207. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 11  O'Reilly F, Brown M. Skin cancer in solid organ transplant recipients: advances in therapy and management. J Am Dermatol 2011;65(2):25361. Cross Ref link
  • 12  Na R, Grulich AE, Meagher NS, McCaughan GW, Keogh AM, Vajdic CM. Comparison of de novo cancer incidence in Australian liver, heart and lung transplant recipients. Am J Transplant 2012;13(1):17483. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 13  Koljonen V, Kukko H, Tukiainen E, et al. Second cancers following the diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma: a nationwide cohort study. Cancer Epidemiol 2010;34(1):625. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 14  Van Gele M, Boyle GM, Cook AL, et al. Gene‐expression profiling reveals distinct expression patterns for classic versus variant Merkel cell phenotypes and new classifier genes to distinguish Merkel cell from small‐cell lung carcinoma. Oncogene 2004;23(15):273242. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 15  Paulson KG, Iyer JG, Tegeder AR, et al. Transcriptome‐wide studies of Merkel cell carcinoma and validation of intratumoral CD8+ lymphocyte invasion as an independent predictor of survival. J Clin Oncol 2011;29(12):153946. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 16  Lunder EJ, Stern RS. Merkel‐cell carcinomas in patients treated with methoxsalen and ultraviolet A radiation. N Engl J Med 1998;339(17):12478. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 17  Triozzi P, Fernandez A. The role of the immune response in Merkel cell carcinoma. Cancers 2013;5(1):23454. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 18  Wooff JC, Trites JR, Walsh NMG, Bullock MJ. Complete spontaneous regression of metastatic merkel cell carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature. Am J Dermatopathol 2010;32(6):61417. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 19  Feng H, Shuda M, Chang Y, Moore PS. Clonal integration of a polyomavirus in human Merkel cell carcinoma. Science 2008;319(5866):1096100. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 20  Rollison DE, Giuliano AR, Becker JC. New virus associated with Merkel cell carcinoma development. J Natl Compr Cancer Network 2010;8(8):87480.
  • 21  Houben R, Shuda M, Weinkam R, et al. Merkel cell polyomavirus‐infected Merkel cell carcinoma cells require expression of viral T antigens. J Virol 2010;84(14):706472. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 22  Schrama D, Thiemann A, Houben R, Kähler KC, Becker JC, Hauschild A. Distinction of 2 different primary Merkel cell carcinomas in 1 patient by Merkel cell polyomavirus genome analysis. Arch Dermatol 2010;146(6):6879. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 23  Shuda M, Feng H, Kwun HJ, et al. T antigen mutations are a human tumor‐specific signature for Merkel cell polyomavirus. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2008;105(42):162727. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 24  Paulson KG, Carter JJ, Johnson LG, et al. Antibodies to Merkel cell polyomavirus T antigen oncoproteins reflect tumor burden in Merkel cell carcinoma patients. Cancer Res 2010;70(21):838897. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 25  Lyngaa R, Pedersen NW, Schrama D, et al. Discovery of CD8 T cell epitopes in Merkel cell polyomavirus through combinatorial encoding with MHC multimers. J Immunother Cancer 2013;1(Suppl. 1):P13. Cross Ref link
  • 26  Schwartz JL, Bichakjian CK, Lowe L, et al. Clinicopathologic features of primary Merkel cell carcinoma: a detailed descriptive analysis of a large contemporary cohort. Dermatol Surg 2013;39(7):100916. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 27  Sur M, AlArdati H, Ross C, Alowami S. TdT expression in Merkel cell carcinoma: potential diagnostic pitfall with blastic hematological malignancies and expanded immunohistochemical analysis. Mod Pathol 2007;20(11):111320. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 28  Bastian BC, Kreipe HH, Bröcker EB. Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin with an unusual follicular lymphocytic infiltrate of the dermis. Am J Dermatopathol 1996;18(6):6258. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 29  Becker JC, Assaf C, Vordermark D, et al. Brief S2k guidelines – Merkel cell carcinoma. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges 2013;11(Suppl. 3):2936. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 30  Ferringer T, Rogers HC, Metcalf JS. Merkel cell carcinoma in situ. J Cutan Pathol 2005;32(2):1625. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 31  Tarantola TI, Vallow LA, Halyard MY, et al. Prognostic factors in Merkel cell carcinoma: analysis of 240 cases. J Am Acad Dermatol 2013;68(3):42532. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 32  Zager JS, Rollison DE, Messina J. Prognostication in Merkel cell carcinoma. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2011;11(5):6657. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 33  Lim CS, Whalley D, Haydu LE, et al. Increasing tumor thickness is associated with recurrence and poorer survival in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma. Ann Surg Oncol 2012;19(11):332534. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 34  Schwartz JL, Griffith KA, Lowe L, et al. Features predicting sentinel lymph node positivity in Merkel cell carcinoma. J Clin Oncol 2011;29(8):103641. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 35  Decaprio JA. Does detection of Merkel cell polyomavirus in Merkel cell carcinoma provide prognostic information? J Natl Cancer Inst 2009;101(13):9057. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 36  Schrama D, Peitsch WK, Zapatka M, et al. Merkel cell polyomavirus status is not associated with clinical course of Merkel cell carcinoma. J Invest Dermatol 2011;131(8):16318. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 37  Sihto H, Kukko H, Koljonen V, Sankila R, Böhling T, Joensuu H. Clinical factors associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus infection in Merkel cell carcinoma. J Natl Cancer Inst 2009;101(13):93845. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 38  Becker JC, Kauczok CS, Ugurel S, Eib S, Bröcker E‐B, Houben R. Merkel cell carcinoma: molecular pathogenesis, clinical features and therapy. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges 2008;6(9):70919. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 39  Heath M, Jaimes N, Lemos B, et al. Clinical characteristics of Merkel cell carcinoma at diagnosis in 195 patients: the AEIOU features. J Am Acad Dermatol 2008;58(3):37581. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 40  Paulson KG, Iyer JG, Blom A, et al. systemic immune suppression predicts diminished Merkel cell carcinoma–specific survival independent of stage. J Invest Dermatol 2012;133(3):6426. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 41  Colgan MB, Tarantola TI, Weaver AL, et al. The predictive value of imaging studies in evaluating regional lymph node involvement in Merkel cell carcinoma. J Am Dermatol 2012;67(6):12506. Cross Ref link
  • 42  Edge SB, Byrd DR, Compton CC, Fritz AG, Greene FL, Trotti A. AJCC Cancer Staging Handbook – MCC. Berlin: Springer, 2009.
  • 43  Lemos B, Storer BE, Iyer JG, et al. Pathologic nodal evaluation improves prognostic accuracy in Merkel cell carcinoma: analysis of 5823 cases as the basis of the first consensus staging system. J Am Acad Dermatol 2010;63(5):75161. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 44  Peloschek P, Novotny C, Mueller‐Mang C, et al. Diagnostic imaging in Merkel cell carcinoma: lessons to learn from 16 cases with correlation of sonography, CT, MRI and PET. Eur J Radiol 2010;73(2):31723. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 45  Schmidt MC, Uhrhan K, Markiefka B, et al. (68)Ga‐DotaTATE PET‐CT followed by peptide receptor radiotherapy in combination with capecitabine in two patients with Merkel cell carcinoma. Int J Clin Exp Med 2012;5(4):3636. Pubmed link
  • 46  Siva S, Byrne K, Seel M, et al. 18F‐FDG PET provides high‐impact and powerful prognostic stratification in the staging of Merkel cell carcinoma: a 15‐year institutional experience. J Nucl Med 2013;54(8):12239. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 47  Ellis DL, Davis RS. Evidence‐based management of primary and localized Merkel cell carcinoma: a review. Int J Dermatol 2013;52(10):124858. Pubmed link
  • 48  Tai P. A practical update of surgical management of merkel cell carcinoma of the skin. ISRN Surg 2013;2013(2):850797. Pubmed link
  • 49  Foote M, Veness M, Zarate D, Poulsen M. Merkel cell carcinoma: the prognostic implications of an occult primary in stage IIIB (nodal) disease. J Am Acad Dermatol 2012;67(3):3959. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 50  Howle JR, Hughes TM, Gebski V, Veness MJ. Merkel cell carcinoma: an Australian perspective and the importance of addressing the regional lymph nodes in clinically node‐negative patients. J Am Dermatol 2012;67(1):3340. Cross Ref link
  • 51  Stokes JB, Graw KS, Dengel LT, et al. Patients with Merkel cell carcinoma tumors. J Clin Oncol 2009;27(23):37727. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 52  Shnayder Y, Weed DT, Arnold DJ, et al. Management of the neck in Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck: University of Miami experience. Head Neck 2008;30(12):155965. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 53  Kaanders JH, Poortmans P, Zaucha R, et al. The essential role of radiotherapy in the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma: a study from the Rare Cancer Network. Radiat Oncol Biol 2011;81(4):e58391. Cross Ref link
  • 54  Kang SH, Haydu LE, Goh RYH, Fogarty GB. Radiotherapy is associated with significant improvement in local and regional control in Merkel cell carcinoma. Radiat Oncol 2012;7:17. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 55  Veness MJ, Morgan GJ, Gebski V. Adjuvant locoregional radiotherapy as best practice in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Head Neck 2005;27(3):20816. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 56  Lewis KG, Weinstock MA, Weaver AL, Otley CC. Adjuvant local irradiation for Merkel cell carcinoma. Arch Dermatol 2006;142(6):693700. Pubmed link
  • 57  Jouary T, Leyral C, Dreno B, et al. Adjuvant prophylactic regional radiotherapy versus observation in stage I Merkel cell carcinoma: a multicentric prospective randomized study. Ann Oncol 2012;23(4):107480. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 58  Hruby G, Scolyer RA, Thompson JF. The important role of radiation treatment in the management of Merkel cell carcinoma. Br J Dermatol 2013;169(5):97582. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 59  Foote M, Harvey J, Porceddu S, et al. Effect of radiotherapy dose and volume on relapse in Merkel cell cancer of the skin. Radiat Oncol Biol 2010;77(3):67784. Cross Ref link
  • 60  Fang LC, Lemos B, Douglas J, Iyer J, Nghiem P. Radiation monotherapy as regional treatment for lymph node‐positive Merkel cell carcinoma. Cancer 2010;116(7):178390. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 61  Veness M, Foote M, Gebski V, Poulsen M. The role of radiotherapy alone in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma: reporting the Australian experience of 43 patients. Radiat Oncol Biol 2010;78(3):7039. Cross Ref link
  • 62  Kumar A, Soares HP, Balducci L, Djulbegovic B, National Cancer Institute. Treatment tolerance and efficacy in geriatric oncology: a systematic review of phase III randomized trials conducted by five National Cancer Institute‐sponsored cooperative groups. J Clin Oncol 2007;25(10):12726. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 63  Henness S, Vereecken P. Management of Merkel tumours: an evidence‐based review. Curr Opin Oncol 2008;20(3):2806. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 64  Becker JC. Merkel cell carcinoma. Ann Oncol 2010;21(Suppl. 7):vii815. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 65  Tai PT, Yu E, Winquist E, et al. Chemotherapy in neuroendocrine/Merkel cell carcinoma of the skin: case series and review of 204 cases. J Clin Oncol 2000;18(12):24939. Pubmed link
  • 66  Wobser M, Kürzinger N, Ugurel S, Bröcker E‐B, Becker JC. Therapy of metastasized Merkel cell carcinoma with liposomal doxorubicin in combination with radiotherapy. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges 2009;7(6):5215. Pubmed link
  • 67  Lipson EJ, Vincent JG, Loyo M, et al. PD‐L1 expression in the Merkel cell carcinoma microenvironment: association with inflammation, Merkel cell polyomavirus and overall survival. Cancer Immunol Res 2013;1(1):5463. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 68  Bhatia S, Afanasiev O, Nghiem P. Immunobiology of Merkel cell carcinoma: implications for immunotherapy of a polyomavirus‐associated cancer. Curr Oncol Rep 2011;13(6):48897. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 69  Miller NJ, Bhatia S, Parvathaneni U, Iyer JG, Nghiem P. Emerging and mechanism‐based therapies for recurrent or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2013;14(2):24963. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 70  Loader DE, Feldmann R, Baumgartner M, et al. Clinical remission of Merkel cell carcinoma after treatment with imatinib. J Am Dermatol 2013;69(4):e1813. Cross Ref link
  • 71  Samlowski WE, Moon J, Tuthill RJ, et al. A phase II trial of imatinib mesylate in Merkel cell carcinoma (neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin): a Southwest Oncology Group study (S0331). Am J Clin Oncol 2010;33(5):4959. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 72  Davids MS, Davids M, Charlton A, et al. Response to a novel multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor pazopanib in metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. J Clin Oncol 2009;27(26):e97100. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 73  Hughes MP, Hardee ME, Cornelius LA, Hutchins LF, Becker JC, Gao L. Merkel cell carcinoma: epidemiology, target, and therapy. Curr Derm Rep 2014;22(3):4653. Cross Ref link
  • 74  Schrama D, Becker JC. Merkel cell carcinoma – pathogenesis, clinical aspects and treatment. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2011;25(10):11219. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 75  Bichakjian CK, Lowe L, Lao CD, et al. Merkel cell carcinoma: critical review with guidelines for multidisciplinary management. Cancer 2007;110(1):112. Cross Ref link Pubmed link
  • 76  Epstude M, Tornquist K, Riklin C, et al. Comparison of (18)F‐FDG PET/CT and (68)Ga‐DOTATATE PET/CT imaging in metastasized Merkel cell carcinoma. Clin Nucl Med 2013;38(4):2834. Cross Ref link Pubmed link