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:
- Adaptive Dosing of Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma
- Pembrolizumab vs Placebo as Adjuvant Therapy in Completely Resected Stage IIB or IIC Melanoma
- Ribociclib Plus Binimetinib for NRAS-Mutant Melanoma
- Limited Impact of COVID-19–Related Diagnostic Delay on Tumor Characteristics of Cutaneous Melanoma and SCC
- Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone vs Ipilimumab in Patients With Advanced Melanoma
- Relatlimab and Nivolumab vs Nivolumab in Untreated Advanced Melanoma
- Neoadjuvant Talimogene Laherparepvec Plus Surgery for Resectable Stage IIIB–IVM1a Melanoma
- Outcomes With Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Active Melanoma Brain Metastases
- 2021 Top Story in Advanced Melanoma: Tebentafusp in Uveal Melanoma
- Oncolytic Coxsackievirus A21 (V937) in Patients With Unresectable Melanoma