Is Merkel cell carcinoma another skin cancer I need to obsess over?

When word came last weekend that musician Jimmy Buffett had died of skin cancer that transformed into Lymphoma, the cause of death wasn't too surprising. After all, this was a man known for spending his life outdoors. What was surprising was the kind of skin cancer Buffett had.

My mind immediately went to Melanoma. It is a common and potentially life-threatening type of skin cancer. But when it was announced that he had Merkel cell carcinoma, I was more than a bit thrown. This was a new one for me. I had never heard of this. So, I did a little research.

The photo at the top is what Merkel looks like. You can find it usually on the face and hands. It primarily attacks men over the age of sixty. My next step was to do what most neurotic skin cancer survivors do…I immediately went to a mirror and checked out my face and hands. Nothing! Phew! Well, at least I thought there was nothing.

Eight years ago I knew a mole on my back was Melanoma as soon as I spotted it. It did help that at the time I was researching the disease for a story I was writing. I’m sure it was more a case of good timing than my expert medical knowledge. After that, my ‘mole-game’ took a downward turn. Ones that I was sure were cancerous turned out to be nothing, while two that I knew were nothing led to a pair of Mohs surgeries to remove Squamous cell carcinomas.

So knowing all this and also having a pair of somewhat suspicious spots on my stomach and back, it was a good thing that I had coincidently scheduled an appointment with the woman who has seen more of me than most of my personal relationships have. I saw my dermatologist last Tuesday. Mine was the last appointment of the day and it led to this conversation:

H: “How many people have asked you about Merkel today?” Dr. Em: “You’re the first one. Let me guess…you’re thinking you have it now, too?” H: NO! Well, I don’t know.” Dr. Em: “First, you don’t have it and quit looking for it. I’ve been doing this for more than twenty years and I’ve only seen two cases of it. It’s extremely rare. Also, the thing on your back isn’t Melanoma.”

Man, does that woman know me and my obsessions! That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop looking for it when I do my body checks for new moles. It only means I’ll have something else to obsess over. Thanks, Jimmy!

I know I’m a little crazy about this. But as Jimmy once said, “It's alright to be crazy, just don't let it drive you nuts