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Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infection and Detection
Published on: February 7, 2019
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Concurrent Adjacent Merkel Cell Carcinoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia without Simultaneous Merkel Cell
Rayan Saade1, Saleh Najjar1, Mustafa Erdem Arslan1
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY 12208, USA.
Dermatopathology (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 2, 2021
Summary
Merkel cell carcinoma polyomavirus (MCPyV) was not found in both Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic leukemia (CLL/SLL) in the same patient. This suggests MCPyV does not drive simultaneous tumor development in these linked cancers.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Virology
- Dermatology
Background:
- A known association exists between Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic leukemia (CLL/SLL).
- Merkel cell carcinoma polyomavirus (MCPyV) is frequently detected in MCC and is a suspected link between these malignancies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence of MCPyV in patients with concurrent, adjacent MCC and CLL/SLL.
- To determine if MCPyV plays a role in the simultaneous development of MCC and CLL/SLL.
Main Methods:
- Review of three cases of cutaneous excisions with concurrent MCC and CLL/SLL.
- DNA extraction from paraffin-embedded tissue sections of MCC and CLL/SLL.
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) used to detect MCPyV in a conserved viral DNA region.
Main Results:
- Out of 140 MCC cases reviewed, only three had coexisting CLL/SLL in the same resection.
- MCPyV was detected in MCC in one of the three cases, but not in the adjacent CLL/SLL.
- No MCPyV detection occurred in either MCC or CLL/SLL in the remaining two cases.
Conclusions:
- MCPyV was not concurrently found in adjacent MCC and CLL/SLL in this patient subset.
- Findings suggest MCPyV is not the driving factor for simultaneous tumorigenesis in these linked cancers.
