Figure 2.1
Merkel cell carcinoma
Clinical Differential Diagnosis
(Raised erythematous lesion on sun exposed skin)
Squamous cell carcinoma
Actinic keratosis
Merkel cell carcinoma
Lymphoma
Angiosarcoma
Metastasis
Histopathology
The lesion on the right cheek showed atypical nests of keratinocytes (Squamous cell carcinoma) while the left temple showed basal nests of various sizes (Basal cell carcinoma). The left forehead showed two distinct diseases. One was full thickness squamous atypia with overlying parakeratosis. The second showed irregular shaped sheets of small, round cells with scant amounts of cytoplasm (Fig. 2.2). Some areas of the tumor was dyscohesive resulting in scattered single cells in the dermis (Fig. 2.3). The nucleus showed a coarse granular (salt and pepper) pattern. These cells stained positive for cytokeratin 20 as perinuclear spots, but negative for MART (Fig. 2.4).
Figure 2.2
H&E 40×, Merkel cell carcinoma with overlying squamous cell carcinoma in situ on the left side of the epidermis