Merkel cell tumour of the face successfully treated with radical radiotherapy.

A case of Merkel cell tumour of the face and its dramatic response to a course of radical radiotherapy is presented below. The patient has been free of recurrence for 18 months and has suffered minimal side-effects from the treatment. This suggests that radical radiotherapy, as opposed to the standard wide excision, may be the preferred first-line treatment for at least some of these rare, but highly malignant tumours.