Alexander C. J. van Akkooi MD, PhD, FRACS
Chair of Melanoma Surgical Oncology, Melanoma Institute Australia; Associate Professor of Melanoma Surgical Oncology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaProf. Dr. Alexander van Akkooi is a board-certified surgical oncologist specializing in cutaneous oncology (melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, particularly Merkel cell carcinoma) at the Melanoma Institute Australia, University of Sydney, and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He is the immediate past-chairman of the EORTC (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer) Melanoma Group. Prof. Dr. van Akkooi has published over 225 peer-reviewed papers in high-impact journals, including NEJM, The Lancet, The Lancet Oncology, Cell, and Nature Medicine, among others, and has presented at numerous international meetings. He is a member of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Society for Melanoma Research (SMR), and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Prof. Dr. van Akkooi was awarded his medical degree from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He was a resident in general surgery at Maasstad Ziekenhuis in Rotterdam and underwent residency training in surgical oncology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam and Erasmus MC Cancer Institute in Rotterdam. His PhD was awarded cum laude in 2011 from Erasmus University on the topic of "Sentinel Node Tumor Load Assessment in Melanoma: Dilemmas and Clinical Management."
Disclosures
- Advisory board/consultant: Amgen; Bristol-Myers Squibb; MSD-Merck; Merck-Pfizer; NeraCare; Novartis; Pierre Fabre; Provectus; Sanofi; Sirius Medical; 4SC
- Research funding: (to his institute): Amgen; Merck-Pfizer
Recent Contributions to PracticeUpdate:
- ASCO 2021: Abstract Recommendations From Dr. Alex van Akkooi for Melanoma
- Early Discontinuation of PD-1 Blockade for Advanced Melanoma After a Complete or Partial Response
- AACR 2021: Addition of Ipilimumab to Adjuvant Nivolumab Did Not Improve Outcomes in Late-Stage Melanoma
- TLPLDC Vaccine as Adjuvant Therapy After Surgical Resection of Stage III/IV Melanoma
- Tebentafusp Induces Anti-Tumor Immune Responses in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma
- Combining Nivolumab and Ipilimumab With Infliximab or Certolizumab in Patients With Advanced Melanoma
- 2020 Top Stories in Advanced Melanoma: The IMMUNED Trial
- Optimizing the Approach to Adjuvant Therapy for Resected Melanoma
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibition for Advanced Skin Cancer in Patients With Concomitant Hematological Malignancy
- Combined PD-1, BRAF, and MEK Inhibition in Advanced BRAF-Mutant Melanoma