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:
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Inpatient Treatment in Germany
- Validation of the AJCC8 Staging System for Cutaneous Melanoma
- Prognosis of Patients With AJCCv8 Stage I and II Primary Melanoma Validated in Two Independent Cohorts
- Spartalizumab or Placebo Plus Dabrafenib and Trametinib in Patients With BRAF V600–Mutant Melanoma
- Atezolizumab, Cobimetinib, and Vemurafenib in Patients With BRAF V600 Mutation and Brain Metastases
- Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Therapy for Stage II and III Melanoma
- NIVO + RELA vs NIVO in Previously Untreated Advanced Melanoma
- Effect of the Time Interval Between Melanoma Diagnosis and SNB on the Size of Metastatic Tumour Deposits in Node-Positive Patients
- ASCO 2022: Abstract Recommendations From Dr. Alexander van Akkooi for Advanced Melanoma
- Effect of Time Interval Between Diagnostic Excision-Biopsy of a Primary Melanoma and SNB on Sentinel Node Positivity Rate and Survival Outcomes