Gene expression analysis of Merkel Cell Carcinoma. Homo sapiens

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a polyomavirus-associated skin cancer that is frequently lethal and lacks established prognostic biomarkers. The purpose of this study was to use gene expression analysis to identify biomarkers that may improve prognostic accuracy and provide insight into MCC biology. Overall design: We profiled 35 tumors from 34 patients. Tumors were macrodissected from surrounding stroma. RNA isolation was performed with RNeasy or Allprep Mini kits (Qiagen, Alameda, CA), and RNA quality assessed by Agilent Bioanalyzer analysis. RNAs were profiled on the Human Rosetta Custom Affymetrix 2.0 chip.