Prof. Dr. Alexander C. J. van Akkooi MD, PhD
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 (H index 40) in high-impact journals, including NEJM, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Cell, 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, the Netherlands. 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
Prof. Dr. van Akkooi is on the Advisory Board of and has received Consultancy Honoraria from Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, MSD-Merck, Merck-Pfizer, Neracare, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Provectus, Sanofi, Sirius Medical, 4SC. He also reports Research Grants from Amgen and Merck-Pfizer, which were all paid to his institute.
Recent Contributions to PracticeUpdate:
- Neoadjuvant Relatlimab and Nivolumab for Resectable Melanoma
- 2022 Top Story in Advanced Melanoma: Adjuvant Anti–PD-1 for Stage IIB/C Melanoma
- Clinical Management of Melanocytic Tumours of Uncertain Malignant Potential, Including Melanocytomas
- Toripalimab vs High-Dose Interferon-α2b as Adjuvant Therapy for Resected Mucosal Melanoma
- Diet-Driven Microbial Ecology Underpins Associations Between Cancer Immunotherapy Outcomes and the Gut Microbiome
- Obesity Influences Tumor Metabolism in Metastatic Melanoma
- ESMO 2022: Recommendations From Dr. Alex van Akkooi for Melanoma
- Risk of irAEs in Patients With Autoimmune Diseases Treated With ICIs for Stage III or IV Melanoma
- Clinical Outcomes and Risk Stratification of Early-Stage Melanoma Micrometastases
- Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib in Elderly Patients With BRAF V600–Mutant Advanced Melanoma