Someone close to me has been diagnosed with Merkel cancer. What will her life expectancy be with palliative care being her only option?

A close fro has just been diagnosed with Merkels cancer and this has spread from leg to groin and stomach 

she has poor kidney function has had a transplant which wasn’t that successful together with a colostomy she has poor health 

treatment is not really an option and palliative care is likely to be the only option 

what kind if life expectancy could I expect her to have now 

thanks for any guidance in advance 

  • Hi MarionD and welcome to the forum.

    I'm sorry to hear that someone close to you has been diagnosed with this type of cancer and that palliative care may be the only treatment available to her.

    This must be a very difficult time, but our members are here for you Marion. I'm sure some of them will be along soon to offer you their support and advice, but if you'd like to find out more about life expectancy then do give our cancer nurses a call. They're available on 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m. They're very insightful and will do all that they can to help.

    We're thinking of you Marion and sending all our strength and support to you both.

    Kind regards,

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator