Which skin cancer is the fastest growing metastatic skin cancer?

• A. Basal cell carcinoma
• B. Melanoma
• C. Merkel cell carcinoma
• D. Squamous cell carcinoma

Answer: (D)

Merkel cell carcinoma is the fastest-growing metastatic skin cancer. This rare neuroendocrine skin cancer tends to grow rapidly and spread early to regional lymph nodes and distant sites, which is why it’s described as extremely aggressive. In contrast, basal cell carcinoma grows slowly and rarely metastasizes; squamous cell carcinoma can metastasize but typically not as quickly as Merkel cell carcinoma; melanoma is also highly metastatic but Merkel cell carcinoma is generally regarded as the most aggressive in terms of rapid growth and early spread. So the rapid growth and early dissemination pattern make Merkel cell carcinoma the best answer to this question.