Merkel cell carcinoma expert for interviews. Dr. Aman Chauhan leads the Neuroendocrine Tumor Program @SylvesterCancer.

If you are seeking an expert to discuss diagnosis, treatment and the latest research related to Merkel cell carcinoma, also known as neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin,  Aman Chauhan, M.D., is available. Dr. Chauhan leads the Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The program is hyperfocused on clinical research on entire spectrum of neuroendocrine cancers including Merkle Cell Carcinoma

As internationally recognized neuroendocrine expert, he has devoted his career to neuroendocrine cancer care and research, leading cutting-edge clinical trials in South Florida, and at other select NCI-designated Cancer Centers around the U.S.

“Neuroendocrine cancer has long been under the radar because it is considered a rare cancer type. But the number of people diagnosed each year tells only part of the story,” said Chauhan. “Early in my career I realized a critical unmet medical need for this very cancer that took the lives of singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffet – who died of Merkel cell carcinoma – a rare type of skin cancer, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and singer Aretha Franklin,” Chauhan said.

Unlike many other cancers that are named according to where they are on the body, neuroendocrine cancer can afflict any body part, and they may behave aggressively or become a chronic illness requiring sequential and newer treatments.

The reason statistics blur this cancer’s true toll, according to Chauhan, is that many who have neuroendocrine tumors can live for years with chronic disease, so the burden on society is higher than the numbers suggest. Also, while other cancer rates are remaining stagnant or declining, the incidence of neuroendocrine cancer has increased eight- to nine-fold in the last 40 or 50 years.

Chauhan began to focus on neuroendocrine cancers during his residency training at Louisiana State University. He then completed specialized neuroendocrine training in a fellowship with well-known neuroendocrine specialist Lowell B. Anthony, M.D. Chauhan also spent time at the National Cancer Institute getting experience in understanding clinical trials and new drug development, then he spent the next five years at the University of Kentucky, where he focused on neuroendocrine cancer as assistant professor of medicine in the university’s Division of Medical Oncology.

Read more about Dr. Chauhan’s research here.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Aman Chauhan, M.D., leads the dedicated and hyperfocused Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami. He is an internationally recognized neuroendocrine expert and has devoted his career to neuroendocrine cancer care and research, leading cutting-edge clinical trials in South Florida, and at other select NCI-designated Cancer Centers around the U.S.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center