Since the first description of the Merkel cell carcinoma by Cyril Toker in 1972, the number of studies has significantly increased over the last 4 decades. In this review, we will illustrate the historical background of the Merkel cell carcinoma beginning with the 19th century, the first description of the Merkel cell to the finding of the CK20 as a highly specific diagnostic marker and finally...

Phylogenetic analysis of the mammalian and avian polyomaviruses was performed using the most complete set of publicly available polyomavirus genome sequences to date, including the newly discovered MW polyomavirus. There is no evidence for host-switching between mammalian and avian polyomaviruses, but there is extensive evidence for host-switching among mammalian polyomaviruses. Comparative gen...

................................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF ORIGINAL PUBLICATIONS ....................................................................... 7 ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................... 8 INTRODUCTION ...........................................

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is an oncogenic virus associated with Merkel cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer with a high (>30%) mortality rate. The virus has a high incidence in patients with immunosuppressed conditions, such as AIDS or leukemia, or following organ transplantation. Here, we report the complete genomic sequence of MCPyV identified from a blood sample from a pa...

aCGH: array comparative genomic hybridization FFPE: formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded MCC: Merkel cell carcinoma MCpV: Merkel cell polyomavirus PET/CT: positron emission tomography/ computed tomography SLNB: sentinel lymph node biopsy INTRODUCTION In the United States, the incidence and mortality rates for Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) have more than tripled in the last 2 decades. The main risk fa...