Although most people are familiar with the word melanoma, and think it is the most lethal skin cancer, the survival rates for the Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) are much worse. It is an uncommon form of skin cancer. A study done in Australia from 1993-2007 showed 64% of MCC alive at 5 years, versus 90% of the melanoma patients being alive. MCC tends to reoccur even with appropriate treatment. MCC appears as pink bumps usually on the face, neck, and arms. Like melanoma, MCC is related to sun exposure, and is often mistaken for the more common skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma.
MOST PINK-RED BUMPS ON YOUR SKIN ARE NOT GOING TO BE MCC – BUT IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS THAT PERSISTS, SEE YOUR DERMATOLOGIST AND CONSIDER HAVING A SKIN BIOPSY IF IT DOESN’T RESOLVE.