Development of Merkel Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Receiving Rituximab
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, rapidly growing, and aggressive dermatological neoplasm. It is commonly reported in Caucasian ethnicities, and almost 50% of the patients have a concomitant malignancy and are on immunosuppressive chemotherapy. Here, we present a 79-year-old woman with a histor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Case Reports in Oncological Medicine |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/1814338 |
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| author | Bana Antonios Ujjwal Karki Kais Antonios Bipin Ghimire Mohammad Muhsin Chisti |
| author_facet | Bana Antonios Ujjwal Karki Kais Antonios Bipin Ghimire Mohammad Muhsin Chisti |
| author_sort | Bana Antonios |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, rapidly growing, and aggressive dermatological neoplasm. It is commonly reported in Caucasian ethnicities, and almost 50% of the patients have a concomitant malignancy and are on immunosuppressive chemotherapy. Here, we present a 79-year-old woman with a history of relapsed Stage II, grade III follicular lymphoma, receiving maintenance rituximab infusions. She presented with a raised erythematous papule on her left cheek. An excisional biopsy of the lesion confirmed a diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma. After which, she underwent a wider excision with 1-2 cm margins. PET scan did not reveal any FDG-avid uptake lesions that would be concerning for metastatic disease. However, she underwent a sentinel lymph node biopsy which was also negative. Thus, the diagnosis was finalized as Stage I (T1 N0 M0) MCC. There are only two reported cases in literature about the significant progression of Merkel cell carcinoma in patients who coincidentally were receiving rituximab as a part of treatment for another disease. This raises questions for future investigation and research on whether there is a direct association between rituximab use specifically and the rapid growth of MCC. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-28980ca4ddf9409f93cee50f7aa93eea |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-6714 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Reports in Oncological Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-28980ca4ddf9409f93cee50f7aa93eea2025-08-20T03:54:47ZengWileyCase Reports in Oncological Medicine2090-67142022-01-01202210.1155/2022/1814338Development of Merkel Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Receiving RituximabBana Antonios0Ujjwal Karki1Kais Antonios2Bipin Ghimire3Mohammad Muhsin Chisti4Department of Internal MedicineDepartment of Internal MedicineDepartment of Internal MedicineDepartment of Internal MedicineDepartment of Hematology & OncologyMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, rapidly growing, and aggressive dermatological neoplasm. It is commonly reported in Caucasian ethnicities, and almost 50% of the patients have a concomitant malignancy and are on immunosuppressive chemotherapy. Here, we present a 79-year-old woman with a history of relapsed Stage II, grade III follicular lymphoma, receiving maintenance rituximab infusions. She presented with a raised erythematous papule on her left cheek. An excisional biopsy of the lesion confirmed a diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma. After which, she underwent a wider excision with 1-2 cm margins. PET scan did not reveal any FDG-avid uptake lesions that would be concerning for metastatic disease. However, she underwent a sentinel lymph node biopsy which was also negative. Thus, the diagnosis was finalized as Stage I (T1 N0 M0) MCC. There are only two reported cases in literature about the significant progression of Merkel cell carcinoma in patients who coincidentally were receiving rituximab as a part of treatment for another disease. This raises questions for future investigation and research on whether there is a direct association between rituximab use specifically and the rapid growth of MCC.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/1814338 |
| spellingShingle | Bana Antonios Ujjwal Karki Kais Antonios Bipin Ghimire Mohammad Muhsin Chisti Development of Merkel Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Receiving Rituximab Case Reports in Oncological Medicine |
| title | Development of Merkel Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Receiving Rituximab |
| title_full | Development of Merkel Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Receiving Rituximab |
| title_fullStr | Development of Merkel Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Receiving Rituximab |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of Merkel Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Receiving Rituximab |
| title_short | Development of Merkel Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Receiving Rituximab |
| title_sort | development of merkel cell carcinoma in a patient receiving rituximab |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/1814338 |
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