Merkel Cell Carcinoma With Spontaneous Regression: A Case Report And Immunohistochemical Study
Terui, H., Fujimura, T., Kakizaki, A., Furudate, S., & Aiba, S. (2016). Merkel Cell Carcinoma with spontaneous Regression: A Case report and Immunohistochemical Study. Case reports in dermatology, 8(1), 52–58. https://doi.org/10.1159/000444317
View Original Source →Abstract
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma that only rarely regresses spontaneously. Since little is known about the immunological mechanisms involved in the spontaneous regression of MCC, we describe a case of MCC with spontaneous regression and employed immunohistochemical staining for cytotoxic and immunosuppressive molecules to investigate possible mechanisms involved in the spontaneous regression of MCC. Interestingly, compared to conventional MCC, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in MCC with spontaneous regression contained higher numbers of CD8+ cells and granulysin-bearing cells and lower numbers of CD206+ cells. Our present study suggests one of the possible reasons for the spontaneous regression of MCC.
Case Details
Disease Location
Left cheek
Personal Characteristics
94 -year-old female
Clinical Characteristics
2-month history of a tumor on her left cheek, physical examination revealed a red-colored, elastic, soft, well-demarcated nodule on her left cheek. The size of the tumor was of approximately 22 × 20 mm in diameter. A biopsy specimen from her cheek revealed merkell cell carcinoma
Remission Characteristics
Regression 20 days after biopsy
Treatment & Mechanisms
Proposed Remission Mechanisms
Ihc CD8+ infiltration. Immune cell infiltration