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:
- Neoadjuvant Nivolumab vs Nivolumab Plus LAG-3 Inhibitor Relatlimab for Resectable Esophageal/Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer
- Primary Tumor Resection Before Systemic Therapy in Patients With Colon Cancer and Unresectable Metastases
- Concomitant Administration of EGFRvIII-Targeted CAR T-Cell Therapy and Pembrolizumab in Adults With Glioblastoma
- Individualised Neoantigen Therapy mRNA-4157 (V940) Plus Pembrolizumab vs Pembrolizumab Monotherapy for Resected Melanoma
- Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Gastric or Gastro-Oesophageal Cancer
- 2023 Top Story in Oncology: Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy in Advanced Melanoma
- 2023 Top Story in Oncology: Neoadjuvant–Adjuvant Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma
- Association Between Pretreatment Emotional Distress and Neoadjuvant Immune Checkpoint Blockade Response in Patients With Melanoma
- Adjuvant Pembrolizumab Combined With Personalized mRNA Vaccine in High-Risk Resected Melanoma
- SWOG S1801: Pathologic Response With Neoadjuvant vs Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Resectable Stage IIIb–IV Melanoma