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:
- Vitamin D Intake Is Associated With a Decreased Risk of ICI-Induced Colitis
- Surgery for Unresectable Melanoma in the Era of Novel Systemic Therapy
- Improved Risk Prediction Calculator for Sentinel Node Positivity in Melanoma
- ASCO: Response-Driven Surgery and Adjuvant Therapy After Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy for Stage III Melanoma
- Management of Early Melanoma Recurrence Despite Adjuvant Anti–PD-1 Antibody Therapy
- Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for In-Transit Melanoma
- ASCO 2020: Abstract Recommendations From Dr. Alex van Akkooi for Melanoma
- Melanoma in the COVID-19 Era: Adjuvant Therapy
- Melanoma in the COVID-19 Era: Locally Advanced Cancer
- Melanoma in the COVID-19 Era: Surgery for Early-Stage Cancer