Gastric metastasis of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding: case report and review of the literature

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive cutaneous tumor of neuroendocrine origin. It is usually seen in elderly Caucasian males and occurs in sun exposed areas of the body. Diagnosis of MCC can be challenging and requires confirmation by immunohistochemical studies. It has an aggressive biological behavior with early local and distant metastasis and carries a dismal prognosis. However, metastasis of MCC to the stomach is very uncommon and rarely reported in the literature. We hereby describe a patient with gastric metastasis of MCC, who presented with upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.