Abstract 5347: Transcriptome analysis for Merkel cell carcinoma patients testing positive (+) and negative (-) for polyomavirus

Abstract Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive primary cutaneous malignancy with neuroendocrine differentiation. Approximately 3, 000 new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States, with incidence rates rising partly due to advancements in diagnostic methods. The exact cause of MCC is unknown, but several potential etiologies have been proposed, including exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and integration of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). MCPyV has been detected in up to 80% of MCC tumors in the United States, and its presence is associated with a better prognosis, with a five-year overall survival (OS) rate of approximately 50%. This study aims to investigate the transcriptomic and methylomic profiles of skin samples from 27 patients with MCC, comparing those positive and negative for MCPyV. The objective involves identifying potential genetic biomarkers that could be targeted for therapeutic intervention for both MCPyV (+) and MCPyV (-) patients. Citation Format: MiaSara Pérez Salvá, Nicole Muñoz, Fnu Srividya, Maryam Pirhoushiaran, Daniel Wang, Manuel Delgado Velez, José A. Lasalde Dominicci, Phyu P. Aung, Leomar Y. Ballester. Transcriptome analysis for Merkel cell carcinoma patients testing positive (+) and negative (-) for polyomavirus [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 5347.