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:
- Novel Immunotherapies in Advanced Melanoma: RELATIVITY-048 and KEYMAKER-U02A
- Encorafenib and Binimetinib Followed by Ipilimumab and Nivolumab in Advanced Melanoma: EBIN
- Effectiveness of Early Palliative Care Delivered via Telehealth
- Neoadjuvant Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab vs Adjuvant Nivolumab in Stage III Melanoma: NADINA
- Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy for Locally Advanced Mismatch Repair–Deficient Colon Cancer
- Neoadjuvant Nivolumab and Ipilimumab for Resectable Stage III Melanoma
- ASCO 2024: Abstract Recommendations From Dr. Alexander van Akkooi
- Nivolumab With or Without Ipilimumab for Recurrent or Metastatic Cervical Cancer
- Neoadjuvant Nivolumab With or Without Relatlimab for Resectable NSCLC
- Tissue-Specific Thresholds of Mutation Burden Associated With Anti–PD-1/Anti–PD-L1 Therapy Benefit and Prognosis in Microsatellite-Stable Cancers