Professor Weng-Onn Lui (Karolinska Insitute, Stockholm, Sweden) and Professor John Paoli (Univeristy of Gothenburg) organized the 1st Nordic Merkel Cell Carcinoma Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden on January 15, 2016. The idea behind this initial 1/2-day meeting was to create a multidisciplinary meeting place for researchers with a special interest in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Since then, a growing group of Nordic basic science researchers, virologists, dermatologists, oncologists, pathologists and others met each year for 1-day symposia to network, share their latest results and discuss ongoing and future projects.

In 2023, the meeting’s program was expanded to 2 days and included several internationally renowned speakers from Europe, the United States, Asia and Australia. The success of the 7th Nordic MCC Meeting catapulted the idea of organizing a 1st European MCC Meeting in Hamburg, Germany together with Professor Nicole Fischer (UKE Hamburg, Germany) as our host and Professor Jürgen Becker (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany) as co-organizer. In 2025, a 9th Nordic and 2nd European MCC Meeting was organized again in Stockholm, Sweden adding Lisa Villabona (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden) and Thibault Kervarrec (University of Tours, France) as co-organizers.

Starting in 2026, we have joined forces with our colleagues in the USA who have been organizing International MCC Symposia since 2019. The 4th International MCC Symposium was organized in Boston, Massachusetts, USA in April, 2026. Going forward, the International MCC Symposium will be organized every year alternating between Europe and the USA.

Below are some memories from our previous Nordic and European meetings. We hope you will join us in Stockholm, Sweden on September 2-3, 2027 for the 5th International MCC Symposium!