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Cancers
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Exploring Skin Cancer: Insights into New Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic...
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Exploring Skin Cancer: Insights into New Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Strategies

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Tumor Microenvironment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 540

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Emi Dika

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Oncologic Dermatology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
2. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), Alma Mater Studiorum of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: melanoma; NMSC; skin cancer; medical oncology; clinical trials; surgery; medical treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Skin cancer is among the most prevalent malignancies worldwide, representing one-third of all cancer diagnoses. It encompasses a diverse spectrum of tumors, each presenting unique prognostic and therapeutic challenges. While cutaneous melanoma is well known for its aggressive nature and metastatic potential, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma account for nearly 90% of skin cancers, imposing a significant global healthcare burden. Moreover, rare but highly aggressive tumors, such as Merkel cell carcinoma, pose further diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic complexities. Recent breakthroughs in non-invasive and AI-powered imaging, as well as biomarker-based screening, have transformed skin cancer detection. At the same time, innovative therapeutic approaches—such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeted therapies, and nanotechnology-driven drug delivery systems—have reshaped treatment paradigms and enhanced precision medicine in skin cancer care. This Special Issue explores the latest innovations in skin cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, focusing on their clinical significance and future role in personalized medicine. By integrating emerging technologies with established approaches and current evidence, clinicians and researchers may optimize both diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, thereby improving patient outcomes.

Dr. Emi Dika
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • melanoma
  • non-melanoma skin cancer
  • NMSC
  • Merkel cell carcinoma
  • tumor microenvironment
  • prognosis
  • treatment

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

41 pages, 5261 KiB  
Review
Merkel Cell Carcinoma: An Updated Review Focused on Bone and Bone Marrow Metastases
by Biagio Scotti, Elisabetta Broseghini, Costantino Ricci, Barbara Corti, Costanza Viola, Cosimo Misciali, Carlotta Baraldi, Sabina Vaccari, Martina Lambertini, Federico Venturi, Elisabetta Magnaterra, Aurora Alessandrini, Tiziano Ferrari, Massimo Lepri, Gabriele Argenziano, Barbara Melotti, Elena Campione, Davide Campana, Manuela Ferracin and Emi Dika
Cancers 2025, 17(13), 2253; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17132253 - 6 Jul 2025
Viewed by 387
Abstract
Background/objectives: Despite advancements in early diagnosis and clinical practices guided by standardized care protocols, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is marked by an unfavorable prognosis with a 5-year relative survival rate of 65%, based primarily on data collected prior to the introduction of immunotherapy. [...] Read more.
Background/objectives: Despite advancements in early diagnosis and clinical practices guided by standardized care protocols, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is marked by an unfavorable prognosis with a 5-year relative survival rate of 65%, based primarily on data collected prior to the introduction of immunotherapy. Regional nodal metastases affect 40–50% of MCC patients, while approximately 33% experience distant dissemination. Among these, bone and bone marrow metastases are particularly notable, although the characteristics and clinical implications of this metastatic disease in MCC remain poorly understood. Methods: A comprehensive review was conducted using the Medline database (via PubMed) up to January 2025. The search strategy included the string “(Merkel cell carcinoma AND (bone OR marrow))”. Results: A total of 1133 (69.3% male and 30.7% female) patients diagnosed with advanced MCC were collected. The median (IQR) age at diagnosis was 67.5 (12.65) years old. Overall, 201 (20.8%) cases of bone and/or bone marrow metastases were identified and linked to a primary known MCC in 75.7% of cases. Bone metastases (BMs) appear as the third most common metastatic site, following the liver (second) and lymph nodes (first). They show mixed biological and radiological behavior, with a marked preference for the axial skeleton over the appendicular one. Addressing the characteristics of metastatic bone disease, neurological symptoms were the most documented, whereas bone marrow involvement and leukemic spread seemed to be primarily related to immunosuppression. Multimodal treatment strategies, including platinum-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy, were the primary approaches adopted, reflecting therapeutic practices from the pre-immunotherapy era. Conclusions: The pattern of metastatic spread in MCC differs among studies, with the bones resulting as the third most common site of distant spread. Excluding head and neck MCC, which seems to be more regularly associated with liver metastases, the relationship between the primary tumor site and the development of bone or bone marrow metastases appears inconsistent. Overall, BMs mostly correlated with advanced MCC stages and poorer survival outcomes, with a median overall survival (OS) of 8 months (range 12.75–4). The integration of international guidelines, evolving evidence from clinical trials, and the expanding role of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) will contribute to improving systemic disease control and enhance patient care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Skin Cancer: Insights into New Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Strategies)
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