A letter to the editor in response to the article "Smartphone teledermoscopy referrals: a novel process for improved triage of skin cancer patients," by A. Börve and colleagues in the 2015 issue is presented.
KOLJONEN, Virve, SAHI, Helka, BÖHLING2, Tom, and MÄKISALO3, Heikki
Subjects
*MERKEL cell carcinoma, *DRUG side effects, *IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE agents, *TRANSPLANTATION of organs, tissues, etc., *CANCER treatment, *SKIN cancer, *THERAPEUTICS
Abstract
Malignant tumours are the foremost complications of immunosuppressive treatment. They are a major challenge for organ transplant recipients and their treating physicians. This paper reviews the aetiology and current treatment of an unusual neuroendocrine skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), caused by a Merkel cell polyomavirus infection. MCC occurs more frequently than expected in immunosuppressed subjects, especially in organ transplant recipients. The current literature comprises reports of 79 organ transplant recipients with MCC. The risk of MCC in organ transplant recipients is increased up to 66-182-fold compared with the general population. In addition to the increased risk of developing MCC, immunosuppressed individuals have poorer MCC-specific survival. The aim of this review article is to familiarize organ transplant doctors with this unique and clinically challenging skin cancer, and to provide recent data on the diagnosis and current treatment recommendations for an immunosuppressed population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]