Virus-positive MCC was significantly associated (p = 0.0005) with reduced stain area fractions of E-cadherin (0.27 × 10−3 %; 95% CI: 0.04 × 10−3–2.04 × 10−3), compared with virus-negative MCC (56.57 × 10−3; 95 % CI: 6.44 × 10−3–497.02 × 10−3, Figure S2D,H). Here, CDH1 is linked to Merkel cell skin cancer.