Merkel cell carcinoma is the primary neuroendocrine tumor of skin. It usually occcurs in elderly patients and in neck-head region. It is a rarely seen cancer and goes with high local and regional recurrence and frequent distant metastases. In the present report, a case of Merkel cell carcinoma who had undergone postoperative radiotherapy due to remnant tumor after surgical excision but had regional recurrence and had distant metastasis eight months later is presented. The role of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma, which recurs frequently locally and regionally and has distant metastasis, as in our case, is discussed in view of the information in literature.
Keywords: Merkel cell carcinoma, metastasis; radiotherapy