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Increased public awareness of Merkel cell carcinoma needed

Researchers have found that incidence rates for Merkel cell carcinoma in Queensland, Australia, are at least double any rates previously reported anywhere else in the world.

To compare incidence and survival rates of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) in Queensland and in other areas of the world, researchers retrospectively reviewed the records of 879 Queensland residents diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) between 1993 and 2010. The incidence rates were directly standardized against the 2000 U.S. Standard Population, and the researchers used the period method to calculate 5-year relative survival rates.

The researchers found that men accounted for about two-thirds (68%) of all reported cases, with a median age at diagnosis of 75.5 years, compared with 78 years for women. Half of all cases were diagnosed at stage 1.

Overall incidence of MCC increased, on average, by 2.6% per year from 1993 onward, according to the researchers. Rates were strongly correlated with increasing age, with a peak of 20.7 per 100,000 cases among individuals aged 80 years and older.

Relative 5-year survival rate was 41% and was found to be significantly better in patients younger than 70 years at the time of diagnosis, as well as in patients with tumors on their faces and ears or with stage 1 lesions, according to the researchers.

Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.