Treatment Options by Stage

Stage I and Stage II Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Stage III Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Stage IV Merkel Cell Carcinoma

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Treatment of stage I and stage II Merkel cell carcinoma may include the following:

• Surgery to remove the tumor, such as wide local excision with or without lymph node dissection.
• Radiation therapy after surgery.
• A clinical trial of a new treatment.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage I neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment of stage III Merkel cell carcinoma may include the following:

• Wide local excision with or without lymph node dissection.
• Radiation therapy.
• A clinical trial of chemotherapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage III neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment of stage IV Merkel cell carcinoma may include the following as palliative treatment to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life:

• Chemotherapy.
• Surgery.
• Radiation therapy.
• A clinical trial of a new treatment.