Share on LinkedIn

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Merkel cell carcinoma is a lethal skin cancer connected to the neuroendocrine system through nerve endings in the skin. It frequently spreads into the lymph nodes then, the lungs and brain. Singer Jimmy Buffett recently passed away from this mysterious skin cancer that strikes very few, but is often fatal for those who get it.

Fans of singer Jimmy Buffett were stunned last September by his sudden death. It was later revealed Buffett had actually been suffering for four years from a rare but aggressive form of skin cancer—Merkel cell carcinoma—it strikes just 3,000 people a year.

“If we see one a month, we would say that would be highly unlikely,” said Dr. Vishal Anil Patel, an associate professor of dermatology & medical oncology at George Washington University.

But when the diagnosis is Merkel cell, George Washington University’s surgical team takes immediate action.

“So, we take that because we know that Merkel cell tends to be more aggressive and we want to make sure we get everything out so that it can’t spread elsewhere,” added Dr. Patel.

Merkel cell carcinoma can be caused by age or a weakened immune system, but is often triggered by sun exposure.

“As patients get older, and we have a lot more of a sun worshipping culture, had those years of sun worshipping, and Jimmy Buffett was certainly a sun worshipper, that puts you at higher risk, potentially, for that,” said Dr. Patel.

If caught early, the five-year survival rate is 75 percent but if it spreads, that plunges to 24 percent. White males are most often stricken, and it has a tendency to return.

“What’s unusual is that patients can be treated for their Merkel cell and be doing okay, and then, a few years later, find out that it had spread to multiple different sites, and they just didn’t know,” said Dr. Patel.

Dr. Patel reminds people if you see a spot that you are concerned about, go ahead and get it checked by a dermatologist.

Click here to report a typo.