Reuters Health: Merkel cell cancers recur more often than other skin cancers
UC expert says early detection of recurrence is important for treatment
New research shows that Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) recurs in patients much more often than other skin cancers, often within three years of diagnosis.
MCC is a more rare skin cancer that usually appears as a flesh-colored or bluish-red nodule on the skin, often on the face, head or neck.
Rekha Chaudhary, MD, adjunct associate professor at the UC College of Medicine and a UC Health oncologist, reviewed the research and told Reuters Health that new immunotherapy treatments have proven effective against MCC recurrence, making early detection of recurrence important.
"This study was very helpful in predicting those rates of recurrence," she said. "Following an MCC patient who has had a complete resection closely is very important now, given the new innovative treatments, and national guidelines should be adjusted accordingly."
Read the Reuters Health article.
Featured photo at top of Dr. Chaudhary. Photo/Colleen Kelley/University of Cincinnati.
Related Stories
High Court offers protections for therapy speech
April 5, 2026
Jennifer Bard, a professor in the Donald P. Klekamp College of Law and the UC Department of Internal Medicine, spoke with journalists about the US Supreme Court ruling granting first amendment protections for speech offered during therapy sessions.
Scientists discover how snakes stand upright without limbs
April 3, 2026
Smithsonian magazine highlights a study co-authored by UC Professor Bruce Jayne, an expert in snake locomotion, about how snakes stand upright without arms or legs.
On track: Hoffman Honors Scholar studies public transit
April 2, 2026
Public transit is where Zane Sawyer’s lifelong passion for travel meets his commitment to making an impact. The University of Cincinnati first-year geography major in the College of Arts & Sciences and member of the second cohort of Hoffman Honors Scholars (HHS) has hit the ground running, designing a research project intended to capture both how public transit works and how its users perceive it.