Vernon K. Sondak, MD

BOARD CERTIFICATION:
          •  Surgery

FELLOWSHIP:
          •  UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA - Surgical Oncology

RESIDENCY:
          •  UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA - General Surgery
          •  UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA - General Surgery
          •  UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA - General Surgery

MEDICAL SCHOOL:
          •  Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA - MD

• Park JY, Amankwah EK, Anic GM, Lin HY, Walls B, Park H, Krebs K, Madden M, Maddox K, Marzban S, Fang S, Chen W, Lee JE, Wei Q, Amos CI, Messina JL, Sondak VK, Sellers TA, Egan KM. Gene variants in angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis and cutaneous melanoma progression. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013 May;22(5):827-834. Pubmedid: 23462921.


• Deneve JL, Turaga KK, Marzban SS, Puleo CA, Sarnaik AA, Gonzalez RJ, Sondak VK, Zager JS. Single-institution Outcome Experience Using AlloDerm? as Temporary Coverage or Definitive Reconstruction for Cutaneous and Soft Tissue Malignancy Defects. Am Surg. 2013 May;79(5):476-482. Pubmedid: 23635582.


• Farma JM, Zager JS, Barnica-Elvir V, Puleo CA, Marzban SS, Rollison DE, Messina JL, Sondak VK. A collision of diseases: chronic lymphocytic leukemia discovered during lymph node biopsy for melanoma. Ann Surg Oncol. 2013 Apr;20(4):1360-1364. Pubmedid: 23179994.


• Kudchadkar RR, Smalley KS, Glass LF, Trimble JS, Sondak VK. Targeted therapy in melanoma. Clin Dermatol. 2013 Mar;31(2):200-208. Pubmedid: 23438383.


• Haarberg HE, Paraiso KH, Wood E, Rebecca VW, Sondak VK, Koomen JM, Smalley KS. Inhibition of Wee1, AKT and CDK4 underlies the efficacy of the HSP90 inhibitor XL888 in an in vivo model of NRAS mutant melanoma. Mol Cancer Ther. 2013 Mar. Pubmedid: 23538902.


• Anic GM, Sondak VK, Messina JL, Fenske NA, Zager JS, Cherpelis BS, Lee JH, Fulp WJ, Epling-Burnette PK, Park JY, Rollison DE. Telomere length and risk of melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. Cancer Epidemiol. 2013 Mar. Pubmedid: 23523330.


• Han D, Zager JS, Yu D, Zhao X, Walls B, Marzban SS, Rao NG, Sondak VK, Messina JL. Desmoplastic Melanoma: Is There a Role for Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy?. Ann Surg Oncol. 2013 Feb. Pubmedid: 23389470.


• Sondak VK, King DW, Zager JS, Schneebaum S, Kim J, Leong SP, Faries MB, Averbook BJ, Martinez SR, Puleo CA, Messina JL, Christman L, Wallace AM. Combined Analysis of Phase III Trials Evaluating [(99m)Tc]Tilmanocept and Vital Blue Dye for Identification of Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Clinically Node-Negative Cutaneous Melanoma. Ann Surg Oncol. 2013 Feb;20(2):680-688. Pubmedid: 23054107.


• Iannacone MR, Gheit T, Waterboer T, Giuliano AR, Messina JL, Fenske NA, Cherpelis BS, Sondak VK, Roetzheim RG, Ferrer-Gil S, Michael KM, McKay-Chopin S, Pawlita M, Tommasino M, Rollison DE. Case-Control Study of Cutaneous Human Papillomavirus Infection in Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Skin. J Invest Dermatol. 2013 Jan. Pubmedid: 23303448.


• Tafreshi NK, Huang X, Moberg VE, Barkey NM, Sondak VK, Tian H, Morse DL, Vagner J. Synthesis and Characterization of a Melanoma-Targeted Fluorescence Imaging Probe by Conjugation of a Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC1R) Specific Ligand. Bioconjug Chem. 2012 Dec;23(12):2451-2459. Pubmedid: 23116461.


• Smalley KS, Sondak VK. Skin cancer: Targeted therapy for melanoma: is double hitting a home run?. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2012 Dec;10(1):5-6. Pubmedid: 23207793.


• Han D, Zager JS, Han G, Marzban SS, Puleo CA, Sarnaik AA, Reed D, Messina JL, Sondak VK. The unique clinical characteristics of melanoma diagnosed in children. Ann Surg Oncol. 2012 Nov;19(12):3888-3895. Pubmedid: 22864798.


• Gershenwald JE, Coit DG, Sondak VK, Thompson JF. The challenge of defining guidelines for sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with thin primary cutaneous melanomas. Ann Surg Oncol. 2012 Oct;19(11):3301-3303. Pubmedid: 22868918.


• Han D, Yu D, Zhao X, Marzban SS, Messina JL, Gonzalez RJ, Wayne Cruse C, Sarnaik AA, Puleo C, Sondak VK, Zager JS. Sentinel Node Biopsy is Indicated for Thin Melanomas??0.76?mm. Ann Surg Oncol. 2012 Oct;19(11):3335-3342. Pubmedid: 22766986.


• Pilon-Thomas S, Kuhn L, Ellwanger S, Janssen W, Royster E, Marzban S, Kudchadkar R, Zager J, Gibney G, Sondak VK, Weber J, Mul? JJ, Sarnaik AA. Efficacy of Adoptive Cell Transfer of Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes After Lymphopenia Induction for Metastatic Melanoma. J Immunother. 2012 Oct;35(8):615-620. Pubmedid: 22996367.


• Leong SP, Mihm MC, Murphy GF, Hoon DS, Kashani-Sabet M, Agarwala SS, Zager JS, Hauschild A, Sondak VK, Guild V, Kirkwood JM. Progression of cutaneous melanoma: implications for treatment. Clin Exp Metastasis. 2012 Oct;29(7):775-796. Pubmedid: 22892755.


• Leong SP, Mihm MC, Murphy GF, Hoon DS, Kashani-Sabet M, Agarwala SS, Zager JS, Hauschild A, Sondak VK, Guild V, Kirkwood JM. Erratum to: Progression of cutaneous melanoma: implications for treatment. Clin Exp Metastasis. 2012 Oct;29(7):797-799. Pubmedid: 23053741.


• Sondak VK, Zager JS, Messina JL. Primary tumor thickness as a prognostic factor in merkel cell carcinoma: the next big thing?. Ann Surg Oncol. 2012 Oct;19(11):3307-3309. Pubmedid: 22825775.


• Howard JH, Thompson JF, Mozzillo N, Nieweg OE, Hoekstra HJ, Roses DF, Sondak VK, Reintgen DS, Kashani-Sabet M, Karakousis CP, Coventry BJ, Kraybill WG, Smithers BM, Elashoff R, Stern SL, Cochran AJ, Faries MB, Morton DL. Metastasectomy for distant metastatic melanoma: analysis of data from the first Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial (MSLT-I). Ann Surg Oncol. 2012 Aug;19(8):2547-2555. Pubmedid: 22648554. Pmcid: PMC3405182.


• Knapp CF, Sayegh Z, Schell MJ, Rawal B, Ochoa T, Sondak VK, Messina JL. Expression of CXCR4, e-cadherin, bcl-2, and survivin in merkel cell carcinoma: an immunohistochemical study using a tissue microarray. Am J Dermatopathol. 2012 Aug;34(6):592-596. Pubmedid: 22814318.


• Iannacone MR, Gheit T, Waterboer T, Giuliano AR, Messina JL, Fenske NA, Cherpelis BS, Sondak VK, Roetzheim RG, Michael KM, Tommasino M, Pawlita M, Rollison DE. Case-control study of cutaneous human papillomaviruses in squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2012 Aug;21(8):1303-1313. Pubmedid: 22707711.


• Iannacone MR, Wang W, Stockwell HG, O'Rourke K, Giuliano AR, Sondak VK, Messina JL, Roetzheim RG, Cherpelis BS, Fenske NA, Michael KM, Waterboer T, Pawlita M, Rollison DE. Sunlight exposure and cutaneous human papillomavirus seroreactivity in basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin. J Infect Dis. 2012 Aug;206(3):399-406. Pubmedid: 22661119.


• Deneve JL, Messina JL, Marzban SS, Gonzalez RJ, Walls BM, Fisher KJ, Ann Chen Y , Wayne Cruse C, Sondak VK, Zager JS. Merkel cell carcinoma of unknown primary origin. Ann Surg Oncol. 2012 Jul;19(7):2360-2366. Pubmedid: 22271206.


• Gibney GT, Forsyth PA, Sondak VK. Melanoma in the brain: biology and therapeutic options. Melanoma Res. 2012 Jun;22(3):177-183. Pubmedid: 22495668.


• Sondak VK, Swetter SM, Berwick MA. Gender disparities in patients with melanoma: breaking the glass ceiling. J Clin Oncol. 2012 Jun;30(18):2177-2178. Pubmedid: 22547593.


• Paraiso KH, Haarberg HE, Wood E, Rebecca VW, Chen YA, Xiang Y, Ribas A, Lo RS, Weber JS, Sondak VK, John JK, Sarnaik AA, Koomen JM, Smalley KS. The HSP90 inhibitor XL888 overcomes BRAF inhibitor resistance mediated through diverse mechanisms. Clin Cancer Res. 2012 May;18(9):2502-2514. Pubmedid: 22351686. Pmcid: PMC3398738.


• Gibney GT, Sondak VK. Extending the reach of BRAF-targeted cancer therapy. Lancet. 2012 May;379(9829):1858-1859. Pubmedid: 22608322.


• Chai CY, Zager JS, Szabunio MM, Marzban SS, Chau A, Rossi RM, Sondak VK. Preoperative Ultrasound is Not Useful for Identifying Nodal Metastasis in Melanoma Patients Undergoing Sentinel Node Biopsy: Preoperative Ultrasound in Clinically Node-Negative Melanoma. Ann Surg Oncol. 2012 Apr;19(4):1100-1106. Pubmedid: 22193886.


• Glass LF, Deconti RC, Sondak VK. Introduction: advanced cutaneous malignancies. Semin Oncol. 2012 Apr;39(2):132-133. Pubmedid: 22484183.


• Rebecca VW, Sondak VK, Smalley KS. A brief history of melanoma: from mummies to mutations. Melanoma Res. 2012 Apr;22(2):114-122. Pubmedid: 22395415. Pmcid: PMC3303163.


• Wong JY, Sondak VK. Unanswered questions about margin recommendations for primary cutaneous melanoma. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2012 Mar;10(3):357-365. Pubmedid: 22393196.


• Mills OL, Marzban S, Zager JS, Sondak VK, Messina JL. Sentinel node biopsy in atypical melanocytic neoplasms in childhood: a single institution experience in 24 patients. J Cutan Pathol. 2012 Mar;39(3):331-336. Pubmedid: 22335592.


• Margolin KA, Moon J, Flaherty LE, Lao CD, Akerley WL, Othus M, Sosman JA, Kirkwood JM, Sondak VK. Randomized phase II trial of sorafenib with temsirolimus or tipifarnib in untreated metastatic melanoma (S0438). Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Feb;18(4):1129-1137. Pubmedid: 22228638. Pmcid: PMC3481165.


• Rollison DE, Iannacone MR, Messina JL, Glass LF, Giuliano AR, Roetzheim RG, Cherpelis BS, Fenske NA, Jonathan KA, Sondak VK. Case-control study of smoking and non-melanoma skin cancer. Cancer Causes Control. 2012 Feb;23(2):245-254. Pubmedid: 22101452.


• Finkelstein SE, Iclozan C, Bui MM, Cotter MJ, Ramakrishnan R, Ahmed J, Noyes DR, Cheong D, Gonzalez RJ, Heysek RV, Berman C, Lenox BC, Janssen W, Zager JS, Sondak VK, Letson GD, Antonia SJ, Gabrilovich DI. Combination of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with intratumoral injection of dendritic cells as neo-adjuvant treatment of high-risk soft tissue sarcoma patients. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012 Feb;82(2):924-932. Pubmedid: 21398051.


• Ribas A, Hersey P, Middleton MR, Gogas H, Flaherty KT, Sondak VK, Kirkwood JM. New challenges in endpoints for drug development in advanced melanoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Jan;18(2):336-341. Pubmedid: 22142824. Pmcid: PMC3422891.


• Rollison DE, Giuliano AR, Messina JL, Fenske NA, Cherpelis BS, Sondak VK, Roetzheim RG, Iannacone MR, Michael KM, Gheit T, Waterboer T, Tommasino M, Pawlita M. Case-control Study of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infection and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2012 Jan;21(1):74-81. Pubmedid: 22016472.


• Algazi AP, Weber JS, Andrews SC, Urbas P, Munster PN, DeConti RC, Hwang J, Sondak VK, Messina JL, McCalmont T, Daud AI. Phase I clinical trial of the Src inhibitor dasatinib with dacarbazine in metastatic melanoma. Br J Cancer. 2012 Jan;106(1):85-91. Pubmedid: 22127285. Pmcid: PMC3251861.


• Iannacone MR, Wang W, Stockwell HG, O'Rourke K, Giuliano AR, Sondak VK, Messina JL, Roetzheim RG, Cherpelis BS, Fenske NA, Rollison DE. Patterns and timing of sunlight exposure and risk of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin - a case-control study. BMC Cancer. 2012;12(1):417. Pubmedid: 22994655.


• Messina JL, Fenstermacher DA, Eschrich S, Qu X, Berglund AE, Lloyd MC, Schell MJ, Sondak VK, Weber JS, Mul? JJ. 12-Chemokine Gene Signature Identifies Lymph Node-like Structures in Melanoma: Potential for Patient Selection for Immunotherapy?. Sci Rep. 2012;2:765. Pubmedid: 23097687.


• Sondak VK, Kudchadkar R. Pegylated interferon for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma: FDA approved, but what is its role?. Oncologist. 2012;17(10):1223-1224. Pubmedid: 23002125.


• Bhatia S, Moon J, Margolin KA, Weber JS, Lao CD, Othus M, Aparicio AM, Ribas A, Sondak VK. Phase II Trial of Sorafenib in Combination with Carboplatin and Paclitaxel in Patients with Metastatic Uveal Melanoma: SWOG S0512. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e48787. Pubmedid: 23226204.


• Zager JS, Puleo CA, Sondak VK. Erratum to: What is the Significance of the In Transit or Interval Sentinel Node in Melanoma?. Ann Surg Oncol. 2011 Dec;18 Suppl 3:317-318. Pubmedid: 22048634.


• Sondak VK, Leachman SA. Individualizing follow-up for patients with early-stage melanoma. J Clin Oncol. 2011 Dec;29(35):4606-4608. Pubmedid: 22067394.


• Zager JS, Puleo CA, Sondak VK. What is the Significance of the In Transit or Interval Sentinel Node in Melanoma?. Ann Surg Oncol. 2011 Nov;18(12):3232-3234. Pubmedid: 21837524.


• Viscidi RP, Rollison DE, Sondak VK, Silver B, Messina JL, Giuliano AR, Fulp W, Ajidahun A, Rivanera D. Age-specific seroprevalence of Merkel cell polyomavirus, BK virus, and JC virus. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2011 Oct;18(10):1737-1743. Pubmedid: 21880855. Pmcid: PMC3187023.


• Sosman JA, Moon J, Tuthill RJ, Warneke JA, Vetto JT, Redman BG, Liu PY, Unger JM, Flaherty LE, Sondak VK. A phase 2 trial of complete resection for stage IV melanoma: results of Southwest Oncology Group Clinical Trial S9430. Cancer. 2011 Oct;117(20):4740-4706. Pubmedid: 21455999. Pmcid: PMC3129414.


• Sondak VK. How Do We Know When a Lymph Node Dissection is Adequate?. Ann Surg Oncol. 2011 Sep;18(9):2419-2421. Pubmedid: 21537859.


• Sondak VK, Han D, Deneve J, Kudchadkar R. Current and planned multicenter trials for patients with primary or metastatic melanoma. J Surg Oncol. 2011 Sep;104(4):430-437. Pubmedid: 21858839.


• Sondak VK, Smalley KS, Kudchadkar R, Grippon S, Kirkpatrick P. Ipilimumab. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2011 Jun;10(6):411-412. Pubmedid: 21629286.


• Lao CD, Johnson T, Sondak VK, Lowe L, Kim DS, Zhao L, Naftanel M, Olsen S, Brenner DE. Feasibility of serial biopsies of large dysplastic nevi as a melanoma chemoprevention model. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 Jun;64(6):1188-1190. Pubmedid: 21571186. Pmcid: PMC3095910.


• Thompson JF, Soong SJ, Balch CM, Gershenwald JE, Ding S, Coit DG, Flaherty KT, Gimotty PA, Johnson T, Johnson MM, Leong SP, Ross MI, Byrd DR, Cascinelli N, Cochran AJ, Eggermont AM, McMasters KM, Mihm MC, Morton DL, Sondak VK. Prognostic significance of mitotic rate in localized primary cutaneous melanoma: an analysis of patients in the multi-institutional American Joint Committee on Cancer melanoma staging database. J Clin Oncol. 2011 Jun;29(16):2199-2205. Pubmedid: 21519009. Pmcid: PMC3107741.


• Zager JS, Hochwald SN, Marzban SS, Francois R, Law KM, Davis AH, Messina JL, Vincek V, Mitchell C, Church A, Copeland EM, Sondak VK, Grobmyer SR. Shave biopsy is a safe and accurate method for the initial evaluation of melanoma. J Am Coll Surg. 2011 Apr;212(4):454-460. Pubmedid: 21463767.


• Paraiso KH, Xiang Y, Rebecca VW, Abel EV, Chen YA, Munko AC, Wood E, Fedorenko IV, Sondak VK, Anderson AR, Ribas A, Palma MD, Nathanson KL, Koomen JM, Messina JL, Smalley KS. PTEN loss confers BRAF inhibitor resistance to melanoma cells through the suppression of BIM expression. Cancer Res. 2011 Apr;71(7):2750-2760. Pubmedid: 21317224. Pmcid: PMC3070772.


• Sondak VK, Sarnaik AA. Minimizing Morbidity while Preserving Outcome after Inguinal Lymphadenectomy: Navigating between Scylla and Charybdis. Ann Surg Oncol. 2011 Apr;18(4):909-911. Pubmedid: 21246401.


• Daud AI, Xu C, Hwu WJ, Urbas P, Andrews S, Papadopoulos NE, Floren LC, Yver A, Deconti RC, Sondak VK. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis of adjuvant pegylated interferon ?-2b in patients with resected high-risk melanoma. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2011 Mar;67(3):657-666. Pubmedid: 20509027. Pmcid: PMC3043235.


• Kudchadkar R, Sondak V. Adjuvant interferon: recommit or move on?. Lancet Oncol. 2011 Feb;12(2):112-113. Pubmedid: 21256808.


• Rao NG, Yu HH, Trotti A, Sondak VK. The role of radiation therapy in the management of cutaneous melanoma. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2011 Jan;20(1):115-131. Pubmedid: 21111962.


• Sondak VK, Gonzalez RJ, Kudchadkar R. Adjuvant therapy for melanoma: a surgical perspective. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2011 Jan;20(1):105-114. Pubmedid: 21111961.


• Sondak VK, Flaherty LE. Targeted therapies: Improved outcomes for patients with metastatic melanoma. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2011;8(9):513-515. Pubmedid: 21788973.


• Lien MH, Sondak VK. Nonsurgical treatment options for Basal cell carcinoma. J Skin Cancer. 2011;2011:571734. Pubmedid: 21274437. Pmcid: PMC3025364.


• Balwit JM, Kalinski P, Sondak VK, Coulie PG, Jaffee EM, Gajewski TF, Marincola FM. Review of the 25th annual scientific meeting of the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer. J Transl Med. 2011;9:60. Pubmedid: 21569425. Pmcid: PMC3115875.


• Lemos BD, Storer BE, Iyer JG, Phillips JL, Bichakjian CK, Fang LC, Johnson TM, Liegeois-Kwon NJ, Otley CC, Paulson KG, Ross MI, Yu SS, Zeitouni NC, Byrd DR, Sondak VK, Gershenwald JE, Sober AJ, Nghiem P. Pathologic nodal evaluation improves prognostic accuracy in Merkel cell carcinoma: analysis of 5823 cases as the basis of the first consensus staging system. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 Nov;63(5):751-761. Pubmedid: 20646783. Pmcid: PMC2956767.


• DeConti RC, Algazi AP, Andrews S, Urbas P, Born O, Stoeckigt D, Floren L, Hwang J, Weber J, Sondak VK, Daud AI. Phase II trial of sagopilone, a novel epothilone analog in metastatic melanoma. Br J Cancer. 2010 Nov;103(10):1548-1553. Pubmedid: 20924376. Pmcid: PMC2990578.


• Agarwala SS, di Pietro A, Flaherty KT, Garbe C, Grob JJ, Kashani-Sabet M, Kirkwood JM, Leachman S, Messina J, O'Day S, Ribas A, Sondak V. Meeting report from the Third Global Workshop on Melanoma. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2010 Oct;23(5):e1-e7. Pubmedid: 20718940.


• Casper DJ, Ross KI, Messina JL, Sondak VK, Bodden CN, McCardle TW, Frank Glass L. Useof anti-phosphohistone H3 immunohistochemistry to determine mitotic rate in thin melanoma. Am J Dermatopathol. 2010 Oct;32(7):650-654. Pubmedid: 20559123.


• Samlowski WE, Moon J, Tuthill RJ, Heinrich MC, Balzer-Haas NS, Merl SA, DeConti RC, Thompson JA, Witter MT, Flaherty LE, Sondak VK. A phase II trial of imatinib mesylate in merkel cell carcinoma (neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin): A Southwest Oncology Group study (S0331). Am J Clin Oncol. 2010 Oct;33(5):495-499. Pubmedid: 20019577. Pmcid: PMC2978644.


• Gogas H, Kirkwood JM, Falk CS, Dafni U, Sondak VK, Tsoutsos D, Stratigos A, Markopoulos C, Pectasides D, Spyropoulou-Vlachou M. Correlation of molecular human leukocyte antigen typing and outcome in high-risk melanoma patients receiving adjuvant interferon. Cancer. 2010 Sep;116(18):4326-4333. Pubmedid: 20549830. Pmcid: PMC2970916.


• Chu CK, Zager JS, Marzban SS, Gimbel MI, Murray DR, Hestley AC, Messina JL, Sondak VK, Carlson GW, Delman KA. Routine biopsy of Cloquet's node is of limited value in sentinel node positive melanoma patients. J Surg Oncol. 2010 Sep;102(4):315-320. Pubmedid: 20740592.


• Smalley KS, Sondak VK. Melanoma--an unlikely poster child for personalized cancer therapy. N Engl J Med. 2010 Aug;363(9):876-878. Pubmedid: 20818849.


• Farma JM, Ammori JB, Zager JS, Marzban SS, Bui MM, Bichakjian CK, Johnson TM, Lowe L, Sabel MS, Wong SL, Letson GD, Messina JL, Cimmino VM, Sondak VK. Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: how wide should we resect?. Ann Surg Oncol. 2010 Aug;17(8):2112-2118. Pubmedid: 20354798.


• Feeney K, Maguire HC, McClay EF, Sato T, Sondak VK, Toporcer M, Zager JS. Surgically unresectable regional melanoma metastases in a patient with renal failure and peripheral vascular disease: are there safe and potentially effective treatments?. Semin Oncol. 2010 Aug;37(4):303-313. Pubmedid: 20816500.


• Paraiso KH, Fedorenko IV, Cantini LP, Munko AC, Hall M, Sondak VK, Messina JL, Flaherty KT, Smalley KS. Recovery of phospho-ERK activity allows melanoma cells to escape from BRAF inhibitor therapy. Br J Cancer. 2010 Jun;102(12):1724-1730. Pubmedid: 20531415. Pmcid: PMC2883709.


• Baldwin BT, Cherpelis BS, Sondak V, Fenske NA. Sentinel lymph node biopsy in melanoma: Facts and controversies. Clin Dermatol. 2010 May-June;28(3):319-323. Pubmedid: 20541686.


• Balch CM, Gershenwald JE, Soong SJ, Thompson JF, Ding S, Byrd DR, Cascinelli N, Cochran AJ, Coit DG, Eggermont AM, Johnson T, Kirkwood JM, Leong SP, McMasters KM, Mihm MC, Morton DL, Ross MI, Sondak VK. Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors among 2,313 patients with stage III melanoma: comparison of nodal micrometastases versus macrometastases. J Clin Oncol. 2010 May;28(14):2452-2459. Pubmedid: 20368546. Pmcid: PMC2982783.


• Messina JL, Sondak VK. Refining the criteria for sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with thinner melanoma: a roadmap for the future. Cancer. 2010 Mar;116(6):1403-1405. Pubmedid: 20091836.


• Sondak VK, Zager JS. Who is to blame for false-negative sentinel node biopsies in melanoma?. Ann Surg Oncol. 2010 Mar;17(3):670-673. Pubmedid: 19953329. Pmcid: PMC2820671.


• Santillan AA, Messina JL, Marzban SS, Crespo G, Sondak VK, Zager JS. Pathology review of thin melanoma and melanoma in situ in a multidisciplinary melanoma clinic: impact on treatment decisions. J Clin Oncol. 2010 Jan;28(3):481-486. Pubmedid: 20008627.


• McCardle TW, Sondak VK, Zager J, Messina JL. Merkel cell carcinoma: pathologic findings and prognostic factors. Curr Probl Cancer. 2010 Jan-Feb;34(1):47-64. Pubmedid: 20371074.


• Clark JI, Moon J, Hutchins LF, Sosman JA, Kast WM, Da Silva DM, Liu PY, Thompson JA, Flaherty LE, Sondak VK. Phase 2 trial of combination thalidomide plus temozolomide in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma: Southwest Oncology Group S0508. Cancer. 2010 Jan;116(2):424-431. Pubmedid: 19918923. Pmcid: PMC2811758.


• Kaehler KC, Sondak VK, Schadendorf D, Hauschild A. Pegylated interferons: prospects for the use in the adjuvant and palliative therapy of metastatic melanoma. Eur J Cancer. 2010 Jan;46(1):41-46. Pubmedid: 19857957.


• Sarnaik AA, Zager JS, Cox LE, Ochoa TM, Messina JL, Sondak VK. Routine Omission of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Merkel Cell Carcinoma <= 1 cm Is Not Justified. J Clin Oncol. 2010 Jan;28(1):e7-e7. Pubmedid: 19933899.


• Gonzalez RJ, Padhya TA, Cherpelis BS, Prince MD, Aya-Ay ML, Sondak VK, Cruse CW, Zager JS. The surgical management of primary and metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. Curr Probl Cancer. 2010 Jan-Feb;34(1):77-96. Pubmedid: 20371076.


• McCardle TW, Messina JL, Sondak VK. Completely regressed cutaneous melanocytic lesion revisited. Semin Oncol. 2009 Dec;36(6):498-503. Pubmedid: 19995640.


• Balch CM, Gershenwald JE, Soong SJ, Thompson JF, Atkins MB, Byrd DR, Buzaid AC, Cochran AJ, Coit DG, Ding S, Eggermont AM, Flaherty KT, Gimotty PA, Kirkwood JM, McMasters KM, Mihm MC, Morton DL, Ross MI, Sober AJ, Sondak VK. Final version of 2009 AJCC melanoma staging and classification. J Clin Oncol. 2009 Dec;27(36):6199-6206. Pubmedid: 19917835. Pmcid: PMC2793035.


• Sondak VK. Nonsentinel node metastases in melanoma: do they reflect the biology of the tumor, the lymph node or the surgeon? : Editorial to Accompany Ghaferi et al., ASO-2009-03-0312.R1. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 Nov;16(11):2965-2967. Pubmedid: 19669838. Pmcid: PMC2766452.


• Agarwala SS, Becker JC, Eggermont AM, Flaherty KT, Garbe C, Goldstein AM, Halpern A, Kashani-Sabet M, Hauschild A, Kirkwood JM, Leachman S, Lorigan P, McMahon M, Messina J, Ribas A, Samlowski WE, Schadendorf D, Sondak VK. Meeting report: consensus from the first and second Global Workshops in Melanoma November 19-20, 2008. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2009 Oct;22(5):532-543. Pubmedid: 19659612.


• Messina J, M?ller MG, Sondak VK, Glass FL, Cruse CW. The contoured staged marginal and central surgical excision technique with en face histopathological analysis: useful additions in the armamentarium for treating and diagnosing melanoma in situ. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 Sep;16(9):2654-2655. Pubmedid: 19588203.


• Sondak VK, Smalley K. Targeting mutant BRAF and KIT in metastatic melanoma: ASCO 2009 meeting report. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2009 Aug;22(4):386-387. Pubmedid: 19624312.


• Phan GQ, Messina JL, Sondak VK, Zager JS. Sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma: indications and rationale. Cancer Control. 2009 Jul;16(3):234-239. Pubmedid: 19556963.


• Sarnaik AA, Puleo CA, Zager JS, Sondak VK. Limiting the morbidity of inguinal lymphadenectomy for metastatic melanoma. Cancer Control. 2009 Jul;16(3):240-247. Pubmedid: 19556964.


• M?ller MG, Pappas-Politis E, Zager JS, Santiago LA, Yu D, Prakash A, Kinal A, Clark GS, Zhu W, Puleo CA, Glass LF, Messina JL, Sondak VK, Cruse CW. Surgical management of melanoma-in-situ using a staged marginal and central excision technique. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 Jun;16(6):1526-1536. Pubmedid: 19050971.


• Raziano RM, Clark GS, Cherpelis BS, Sondak VK, Cruse CW, Fenske NA, Glass LF. Staged margin control techniques for surgical excision of lentigo maligna. G Ital Dermatol Venereol. 2009 Jun;144(3):259-270. Pubmedid: 19528907.


• Balch CM, Morton DL, Gershenwald JE, McMasters KM, Nieweg OE, Powell B, Ross MI, Sondak VK, Thompson JF. Sentinel node biopsy and standard of care for melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009 May;60(5):872-875. Pubmedid: 19389531.


• Smalley KS, Sondak VK, Weber JS. c-KIT signaling as the driving oncogenic event in sub-groups of melanomas. Histol Histopathol. 2009 May;24(5):643-650. Pubmedid: 19283671.


• Lien MH, Sondak VK. Diagnostic techniques for primary cutaneous melanoma. G Ital Dermatol Venereol. 2009 Apr;144(2):187-194. Pubmedid: 19357625.


• Santillan AA, Cherpelis BS, Glass LF, Sondak VK. Management of familial melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer syndromes. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2009 Jan;18(1):73-98. Pubmedid: 19056043.


• Atkins MB, Hsu J, Lee S, Cohen GI, Flaherty LE, Sosman JA, Sondak VK, Kirkwood JM. Phase III trial comparing concurrent biochemotherapy with cisplatin, vinblastine, dacarbazine, interleukin-2, and interferon alfa-2b with cisplatin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine alone in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma (E3695): a trial coordin. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Dec;26(35):5748-5754. Pubmedid: 19001327. Pmcid: PMC2645104.


• Dissanayake SK, Olkhanud PB, O'Connell MP, Carter A, French AD, Camilli TC, Emeche CD, Hewitt KJ, Rosenthal DT, Leotlela PD, Wade MS, Yang SW, Brant L, Nickoloff BJ, Messina JL, Biragyn A, Hoek KS, Taub DD, Longo DL, Sondak VK, Hewitt SM, Weeraratna AT. Wnt5A regulates expression of tumor-associated antigens in melanoma via changes in signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 phosphorylation. Cancer Res. 2008 Dec;68(24):10205-10214. Pubmedid: 19074888. Pmcid: PMC2605679.


• Melis M, Zager J, Sondak V. Multimodality management of desmoid tumors: how important is a negative surgical margin. J Surg Oncol. 2008 Dec;98(8):594-602. Pubmedid: 19072851.


• Daud AI, DeConti RC, Andrews S, Urbas P, Riker AI, Sondak VK, Munster PN, Sullivan DM, Ugen KE, Messina JL, Heller R. Phase I trial of interleukin-12 plasmid electroporation in patients with metastatic melanoma. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Dec;26(36):5896-5903. Pubmedid: 19029422. Pmcid: PMC2645111.


• Rollison D, Pawlita M, Giuliano A, Iannacone M, Sondak V, Messina J, Cruse C, Fenske N, Glass L, Kienstra M, Michael K, Waterboer T, Gheit T, Tommasino M. Measures of cutaneous human papillomavirus infection in normal tissues as biomarkers of HPV in corresponding nonmelanoma skin cancers. Int J Cancer. 2008 Nov;123(10):2337-2342. Pubmedid: 18729188.


• Phan GQ, Weber JS, Sondak VK. CTLA-4 blockade with monoclonal antibodies in patients with metastatic cancer: surgical issues. Ann Surg Oncol. 2008 Nov;15(11):3014-3021. Pubmedid: 18716842.


• Zager J, Bui M, Farma J, Messina J, Sondak V. Proper margins of excision in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: wide or narrow?. Ann Surg Oncol. 2008 Sep;15(9):2614-2616. Pubmedid: 18452044.


• Sondak V. How Well Are We Taking Care of Melanoma Patients in the USA. Ann Surg Oncol. 2008 Sep;15(9):2360-2362. Pubmedid: 18612692.


• Daud A, Mirza N, Lenox B, Andrews S, Urbas P, Gao G, Lee J, Sondak V, Riker A, Deconti R, Gabrilovich D. Phenotypic and functional analysis of dendritic cells and clinical outcome in patients with high-risk melanoma treated with adjuvant granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Jul;26(19):3235-3241. Pubmedid: 18591558.


• McLoughlin J, Zager J, Sondak V, Berk L. Treatment options for limited or symptomatic metastatic melanoma. Cancer Control. 2008 Jul;15(3):239-247. Pubmedid: 18596676.


• Sondak VK, Flaherty LE. Adjuvant therapy of melanoma: is pegylated interferon alfa-2b what we've been waiting for?. Lancet. 2008 Jul;372(9633):89-90. Pubmedid: 18620932.


• Moore S, Persons D, Sosman J, Bobadilla D, Bedell V, Smith D, Wolman S, Tuthill R, Moon J, Sondak V, Slovak M. Detection of Copy Number Alterations in Metastatic Melanoma by a DNA Fluorescence In situ Hybridization Probe Panel and Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization: A Southwest Oncology Group Study (S9431). Clin Cancer Res. 2008 May;14(10):2927-2935. Pubmedid: 18483359.


• Sondak VK, Messina JL. Lymphangiogenesis: host and tumor factors in nodal metastasis. Arch Dermatol. 2008 Apr;144(4):536-537. Pubmedid: 18427050.


• Korn EL, Liu PY, Lee SJ, Chapman JA, Niedzwiecki D, Suman VJ, Moon J, Sondak VK, Atkins MB, Eisenhauer EA, Parulekar W, Markovic SN, Saxman S, Kirkwood JM. Meta-analysis of phase II cooperative group trials in metastatic stage IV melanoma to determine progression-free and overall survival benchmarks for future phase II trials. J Clin Oncol. 2008 Feb;26(4):527-534. Pubmedid: 18235113.


• Shor AC, Agresta SV, D'Amato GZ, Sondak VK. Therapeutic potential of directed tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy in sarcomas. Cancer Control. 2008 Jan;15(1):47-54. Pubmedid: 18094660.


• Hutchins LF, Moon J, Clark JI, Thompson JA, Lange MK, Flaherty LE, Sondak VK. Evaluation of interferon alpha-2B and thalidomide in patients with disseminated malignant melanoma, phase 2, SWOG 0026. Cancer. 2007 Nov;110(10):2269-2275. Pubmedid: 17932881.


• Feng M, Murphy J, Griffith K, Baker L, Sondak V, Lucas D, McGinn C, RayME. Long-term outcomes after radiotherapy for retroperitoneal and deep truncal sarcoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2007 Sep;69(1):103-110. Pubmedid: 17560050.


• Sarnaik AA, Zager JS, Sondak VK. Multidisciplinary management of special melanoma situations: oligometastatic disease and bulky nodal sites. Curr Oncol Rep. 2007 Sep;9(5):417-427. Pubmedid: 17706171.


• McLoughlin J, Zager J, Sondak V. Cytoreductive surgery for melanoma. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2007 Jul;16(3):683-693. Pubmedid: 17606201.


• Sondak V, Zager J, Messina J, Thomas J. Sentinel lymph node biopsy as the standard of care for cutaneous melanoma. Clin Adv Hematol Oncol. 2007 Jun;5(6):483-490. Pubmedid: 17679922.


• Blazer DG 3rd, Sondak V, Sabel M. Surgical therapy of cutaneous melanoma. Semin Oncol. 2007 Jun;34(3):270-280. Pubmedid: 17560989.


• Jensen EH, Lewis JM, McLoughlin JM, Alvarado MD, Daud A, Messina J, Enkemann S, Yeatman TJ, Sondak VK, Riker AI. Down-regulation of pro-apoptotic genes is an early event in the progression of malignant melanoma. Ann Surg Oncol. 2007 Apr;14(4):1416-1423. Pubmedid: 17195911.


• Gogas H, Kirkwood J, Sondak V. Chemotherapy for metastatic melanoma: time for a change?. Cancer. 2007 Feb;109(3):455-464. Pubmedid: 17200963.


• Paek S, Griffith K, Johnson T, Sondak V, Wong S, Chang A, Cimmino V, Lowe L, Bradford C, Rees R, Sabel M. The impact of factors beyond Breslow depth on predicting sentinel lymph node positivity in melanoma. Cancer. 2006 Dec;109(1):100-108. Pubmedid: 17146784.


• Lao CD, Demierre MF, Sondak VK. Targeting events in melanoma carcinogenesis for the prevention of melanoma. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2006 Nov;6(11):1559-1568. Pubmedid: 17134361.


• Becker D, Mihm M, Hewitt S, Sondak V, Fountain J, Thurin M. Markers and tissue resources for melanoma: meeting report. Cancer Res. 2006 Nov;66(22):10652-10657. Pubmedid: 17108101.


• Sondak V, Messina J. Current status of biomarkers for melanoma metastasis. Idrugs. 2006 Aug;9(9):627-631. Pubmedid: 16952070.


• Khan MA, Andrews S, Ismail-Khan R, Munster PN, Brem S, King J, Reintgen DS, Sondak VK, Daud AI. Overall and progression-free survival in metastatic melanoma: analysis of a single-institution database. Cancer Control. 2006 Jul;13(3):211-217. Pubmedid: 16885917.


• Atkins M, Elder D, Essner R, Flaherty K, Gajewski T, Haluska F, Hwu P, Keilholz U, Kirkwood J, Mier J, Ross M, Slingluff C, Sondak V, Sosman J, Weinstock M, King L. Innovations and challenges in melanoma: summary statement from the first Cambridge conference. Clin Cancer Res. 2006 Apr;12(7 pt2):2291s-2296s. Pubmedid: 16609047.


• Sondak V, Sabel M, Mule J. Allogeneic and autologous melanoma vaccines: where have we been and where are we going. Clin Cancer Res. 2006 Apr;12(7 pt2):2337s-2341s. Pubmedid: 16609055.


• Sondak V. Advances in the understanding and treatment of melanoma -- Keystone Symposium. Idrugs. 2006 Mar;9(3):157-160. Pubmedid: 16523374.


• Johnson T, Sondak V, Bichakjian C, Sabel M. The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma: evidence assessment. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Jan;54(1):19-27. Pubmedid: 16384752.


• Johnson T, Sondak V, Bichakjian C, Sabel M. Reply. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006;55(1):174-175. Pubmedid: 16781324.


• Riker A, Glass F, Perez I, Cruse C, Messina J, Sondak V. Cutaneous melanoma: methods of biopsy and definitive surgical excision. Dermatol Ther. 2005 Oct;18(5):387-393. Pubmedid: 16297013.


• Demierre M, Sondak V. Chemoprevention of melanoma: theoretical and practical considerations. Cancer Control. 2005 Oct;12(4):219-222. Pubmedid: 16258492.


• Puleo C, Messina J, Riker A, Glass L, Nelson C, Cruse C, Johnson T, Sondak V. Sentinel node biopsy for thin melanomas: which patients should be considered?. Cancer Control. 2005 Oct;12(4):230-235. Pubmedid: 16258494.


• Sabel M, Griffith K, Sondak V, Lowe L, Schwartz J, Cimmino V, Chang A, Rees R, Bradford C, Johnson T. Predictors of nonsentinel lymph node positivity in patients with a positive sentinel node for melanoma. J Am Coll Surg. 2005 Jul;201(1):37-47. Pubmedid: 15978442.


• Chugh R, Dunn R, Zalupski M, Biermann J, Sondak V, Mace J, Leu K, Chandler W, Baker L. Phase II study of 9-nitro-camptothecin in patients with advanced chordoma or soft tissue sarcoma. J Clin Oncol. 2005 May;23(15):3597-3604. Pubmedid: 15908670.


• Demierre M, Sondak V. Cutaneous melanoma: pathogenesis and rationale for chemoprevention. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2005 Mar;53(3):225-239. Pubmedid: 15718148.


• Thomas DG, Giordano TJ, Sanders D, Biermann S, Sondak VK, Trent JC, Yu D, Pollock RE, Baker L. Expression of receptor tyrosine kinases epidermal growth factor receptor and HER-2/neu in synovial sarcoma. Cancer. 2005 Feb;103(4):830-838. Pubmedid: 15641030.


• Worden F, Taylor J, Biermann J, Sondak V, Leu K, Chugh R, McGinn C, Zalupski M, Baker L. Randomized phase II evaluation of 6 g/m2 of ifosfamide plus doxorubicin and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) compared with 12 g/m2 of ifosfamide plus doxorubicin and G-CSF in the treatment of poor-prognosis soft tissue sarcoma. J Clin Oncol. 2005 Jan;23(1):105-112. Pubmedid: 15625365.


• Daud A, Sondak V. Melanoma: changes below the surface. Cancer Control. 2005;12(4):217-218. Pubmedid: 16258491.


• Francis IR, Cohan RH, Varma DG, Sondak VK. Retroperitoneal sarcomas. Cancer Imaging. 2005;5:89-94. Pubmedid: 16154826. Pmcid: PMC1665230.


• Chung ES, Sabel MS, Sondak VK. Current state of treatment for primary cutaneous melanoma. Clin Exp Med. 2004 Oct;4(2):65-77. Pubmedid: 15672943.


• Karimipour DJ, Lowe L, Su L, Hamilton T, Sondak V, Johnson TM, Fullen D. Standard immunostains for melanoma in sentinel lymph node specimens: which ones are most useful?. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2004 May;50(5):759-764. Pubmedid: 15097961.


• Whitehead RP, Moon J, McCachren SS, Hersh EM, Samlowski WE, Beck JT, Tchekmedyian NS, Sondak VK. A Phase II trial of vinorelbine tartrate in patients with disseminated malignant melanoma and one prior systemic therapy: a Southwest Oncology Group study. Cancer. 2004 Apr;100(8):1699-1704. Pubmedid: 15073859.


• Song H, Sondak VK, Barber DL, Reid TJ, Lin J. Modulation of Janus kinase 2 by cisplatin in cancer cells. Int J Oncol. 2004 Apr;24(4):1017-1026. Pubmedid: 15010843.


• Kirkwood JM, Manola J, Ibrahim J, Sondak V, Ernstoff MS, Rao U. A pooled analysis of eastern cooperative oncology group and intergroup trials of adjuvant high-dose interferon for melanoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2004 Mar;10(5):1670-1677. Pubmedid: 15014018.


• Sabel MS, Sondak VK. Point: Interferon-alpha for adjuvant therapy for melanoma patients. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2004 Jan;2(1):61-68. Pubmedid: 19777695.


• Sosman J, Weeraratna A, Sondak V. When will melanoma vaccines be proven effective. J Clin Oncol. 2004;22(3):387-389. Pubmedid: 14691126.


• Johnson T, Sondak V. Melanoma margins: the importance and need for more evidence-based trials. Arch Dermatol. 2004;140(9):1148-1150. Pubmedid: 15381557.


• Johnson T, Bradford C, Gruber S, Sondak V, Schwartz J. Staging workup, sentinel node biopsy, and follow-up tests for melanoma: update of current concepts. Arch Dermatol. 2004;140(1):107-113. Pubmedid: 14732667.


• Leu K, Ostruszka L, Shewach D, Zalupski M, Sondak V, Biermann J, Lee J, Couwlier C, Palazzolo K, Baker L. Laboratory and clinical evidence of synergistic cytotoxicity of sequential treatment with gemcitabine followed by docetaxel in the treatment of sarcoma. J Clin Oncol. 2004;22(9):1706-1712. Pubmedid: 15117993.


• Wang T, Johnson T, Cascade P, Redman B, Sondak V, Schwartz J. Evaluation of staging chest radiographs and serum lactate dehydrogenase for localized melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2004;51(3):399-405. Pubmedid: 15337983.


• Tang H, Qian D, Sondak V, Stachura S, Lin J. A modified p53 enhances apoptosis in sarcoma cell lines mediated by doxorubicin. Br J Cancer. 2004;90(6):1285-1292. Pubmedid: 15026814.


• Sondak V, Taylor J, Sabel M, Wang Y, Lowe L, Grover A, Chang A, Yahanda A, Moon J, Johnson T. Mitotic rate and younger age are predictors of sentinel lymph node positivity: lessons learned from the generation of a probabilistic model. Ann Surg Oncol. 2004;11(3):247-258. Pubmedid: 14993019.


• Douglas J, Sondak V. RE: A comparison of survival rates for treatment of melanoma metastatic to the brain. Cancer Invest. 2004;22(4):643-644. Pubmedid: 15565821.


• Su L, Fullen D, Lowe L, Wang T, Schwartz J, Cimmino V, Sondak V, Johnson T. Desmoplastic and neurotropic melanoma. Cancer. 2004;100(3):598-604. Pubmedid: 14745878.


• Pawlik TM, Paulino AF, McGinn CJ, Baker LH, Cohen DS, Morris JS, Rees R, Sondak VK. Cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp: a multidisciplinary approach. Cancer. 2003 Oct;98(8):1716-1726. Pubmedid: 14534889.


• Terando A, Sabel MS, Sondak VK. Melanoma: adjuvant therapy and other treatment options. Curr Treat Options Oncol. 2003 Jun;4(3):187-199. Pubmedid: 12718796.


• Weber J, Sondak VK, Scotland R, Phillip R, Wang F, Rubio V, Stuge TB, Groshen SG, Gee C, Jeffery GG, Sian S, Lee PP. Granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor added to a multipeptide vaccine for resected Stage II melanoma. Cancer. 2003 Jan;97(1):186-200. Pubmedid: 12491520.


• Sondak V, Sosman J. Results of clinical trials with an allogenic melanoma tumor cell lysate vaccine: Melacine. Semin Cancer Biol. 2003;13(6):409-415. Pubmedid: 15001159.


• Sabel MS, Sondak VK. Is there a role for adjuvant high-dose interferon-alpha-2b in the management of melanoma?. Drugs. 2003;63(11):1053-1058. Pubmedid: 12749732.


• Bogner P, Fullen D, Lowe L, Paulino A, Biermann J, Sondak V, Su L. Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy in the detection of early metastasis from sweat gland carcinoma. Cancer. 2003;97(9):2285-2289. Pubmedid: 12712485.


• Pawlik T, Sondak V. Malignant melanoma: current state of primary and adjuvant treatment. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2003;45(3):245-264. Pubmedid: 12633838.


• Wagner J, Sondak V. The sentinel lymph node: more than just another blue lymph node. Cancer. 2003;97(8):1821-1823. Pubmedid: 12673706.


• Sosman J, Sondak V. Melacine: an allogeneic melanoma tumor cell lysate vaccine. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2003;2(3):353-368. Pubmedid: 12903801.


• Sabel M, Sondak V. Pros and cons of adjuvant interferon in the treatment of melanoma. Oncologist. 2003;8(5):451-458. Pubmedid: 14530498.


• Su L, Fullen D, Sondak V, Johnson T, Lowe L. Sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients with problematic spitzoid melanocytic lesions: a report on 18 patients. Cancer. 2003;97(2):499-507. Pubmedid: 12518375.


• Blazer DG 3rd, Sabel M, Sondak V. Is there a role for sentinel lymph node biopsy in the management of sarcoma. Surg Oncol. 2003;12(3):201-206. Pubmedid: 12957624.


• Mace J, Sybil Biermann J, Sondak V, McGinn C, Hayes C, Thomas D, Baker L. Response of extraabdominal desmoid tumors to therapy with imatinib mesylate. Cancer. 2002 Dec;95(11):2373-2379. Pubmedid: 12436445.


• Sondak VK, Chang AE. Melanoma and human leukocyte antigen status: the missing link?. Ann Surg Oncol. 2002 Oct;9(8):723-724. Pubmedid: 12374654.


• Sondak VK. How does interferon work? Does it even matter?. Cancer. 2002 Sep;95(5):947-949. Pubmedid: 12209676.


• Kirkwood JM, Ibrahim JG, Sondak VK, Ernstoff MS, Ross M. Interferon alfa-2a for melanoma metastases. Lancet. 2002 Mar;359(9310):978-979. Pubmedid: 11918944.


• Sabel M, Sondak V. Tumor vaccines: a role in preventing recurrence in melanoma. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2002;3(9):609-616. Pubmedid: 12444803.


• Tuthill R, Unger J, Liu P, Flaherty L, Sondak V. Risk assessment in localized primary cutaneous melanoma: a Southwest Oncology Group study evaluating nine factors and a test of the Clark logistic regression prediction model. Am J Clin Pathol. 2002;118(4):504-511. Pubmedid: 12375635.


• Su L, Lowe L, Bradford C, Yahanda A, Johnson T, Sondak V. Immunostaining for cytokeratin 20 improves detection of micrometastatic Merkel cell carcinoma in sentinel lymph nodes. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2002;46(5):661-666. Pubmedid: 12004304.


• Schwartz J, Wang T, Hamilton T, Lowe L, Sondak V, Johnson T. Thin primary cutaneous melanomas: associated detection patterns, lesion characteristics, and patient characteristics. Cancer. 2002;95(7):1562-1568. Pubmedid: 12237926.


• Kirkwood J, Ibrahim J, Sondak V, Ernstoff M, Flaherty L, Haluska F. Use and abuse of statistics in evidence-based medicine. J Clin Oncol. 2002;20(19):4122-4123. Pubmedid: 12351612.


• Sosman J, Unger J, Liu P, Flaherty L, Park M, Kempf R, Thompson J, Terasaki P, Sondak V. Adjuvant immunotherapy of resected, intermediate-thickness, node-negative melanoma with an allogeneic tumor vaccine: impact of HLA class I antigen expression on outcome. J Clin Oncol. 2002;20(8):2067-2075. Pubmedid: 11956267.


• Whitehead R, Unger J, Flaherty L, Kraut E, Mills G, Klein C, ChapmanRA, Doolittle G, Hammond N, Sondak V. A phase II trial of pyrazine diazohydroxide in patients with disseminated malignant melanoma and no prior chemotherapy--Southwest Oncology Group study. Invest New Drugs. 2002;20(1):105-111. Pubmedid: 12003185.


• Sondak V, Liu P, Tuthill R, Kempf R, Unger J, Sosman J, Thompson J, Weiss G, Redman B, Jakowatz J, Noyes R, Flaherty L. Adjuvant immunotherapy of resected, intermediate-thickness, node-negative melanoma with an allogeneic tumor vaccine: overall results of a randomized trial of the Southwest Oncology Group. J Clin Oncol. 2002;20(8):2058-2066. Pubmedid: 11956266.


• Sabel M, Sondak V. Melanoma vaccines: breakthrough or bust. Cancer Invest. 2002;20(7-8):1114-1116. Pubmedid: 12449744.


• Sondak VK. Use of adjuvant therapy in cutaneous melanoma. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2001 Oct;1(3):421-426. Pubmedid: 12113108.


• Kirkwood JM, Ibrahim JG, Sosman JA, Sondak VK, Agarwala SS, Ernstoff MS, Rao U. High-dose interferon alfa-2b significantly prolongs relapse-free and overall survival compared with the GM2-KLH/QS-21 vaccine in patients with resected stage IIB-III melanoma: results of intergroup trial E1694/S9512/C509801. J Clin Oncol. 2001 May;19(9):2370-2380. Pubmedid: 11331315.


• Whitehead RP, Unger JM, Flaherty LE, Eckardt JR, Taylor SA, Didolkar MS, Samlowski W, Sondak VK. Phase II trial of CI-980 in patients with disseminated malignant melanoma and no prior chemotherapy. A Southwest Oncology Group study. Invest New Drugs. 2001;19(3):239-243. Pubmedid: 11561681.


• Kirkwood JM, Ibrahim JG, Sondak VK, Richards J, Flaherty LE, Ernstoff MS, Smith TJ, Rao U, Steele M, Blum RH. High- and low-dose interferon alfa-2b in high-risk melanoma: first analysis of intergroup trial E1690/S9111/C9190. J Clin Oncol. 2000 Jun;18(12):2444-2458. Pubmedid: 10856105.


• Sondak VK, Flaherty LE. Adjuvant high-dose interferon revisited. Cancer J. 2000 May-June;6(3):132-134. Pubmedid: 10882326.


• Brewer GJ, Dick RD, Grover DK, LeClaire V, Tseng M, Wicha M, Pienta K, Redman BG, Jahan T, Sondak VK, Strawderman M, LeCarpentier G, Merajver SD. Treatment of metastatic cancer with tetrathiomolybdate, an anticopper, antiangiogenic agent: Phase I study. Clin Cancer Res. 2000 Jan;6(1):1-10. Pubmedid: 10656425.


• Galanis E, Hersh EM, Stopeck AT, Gonzalez R, Burch P, Spier C, Akporiaye ET, Rinehart JJ, Edmonson J, Sobol RE, Forscher C, Sondak VK, Lewis BD, Unger EC, O'Driscoll M, Selk L, Rubin J. Immunotherapy of advanced malignancy by direct gene transfer of an interleukin-2 DNA/DMRIE/DOPE lipid complex: phase I/II experience. J Clin Oncol. 1999 Oct;17(10):3313-3323. Pubmedid: 10506635.


• Sondak VK, Liu PY, Flaherty LE, Fletcher WS, Periman P, Gandara DR, Taylor SA, Balcerzak SP, Meyskens FL. A phase II evaluation of all-trans-retinoic acid plus interferon alfa-2a in stage IV melanoma: a Southwest Oncology Group study. Cancer J Sci Am. 1999 Jan-Feb;5(1):41-47. Pubmedid: 10188060.


• Johnson TM, Yahanda AM, Chang AE, Fader DJ, Sondak VK. Advances in melanoma therapy. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1998 May;38(5 Pt 1):731-741. Pubmedid: 9591818.


• Ratner D, Thomas CO, Johnson TM, Sondak VK, Hamilton TA, Nelson BR, Swanson NA, Garcia C, Clark RE, Grande DJ. Mohs micrographic surgery for the treatment of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. Results of a multiinstitutional series with an analysis of the extent of microscopic spread. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1997 Oct;37(4):600-613. Pubmedid: 9344201.


• Johnson TM, Sondak VK. A centimeter here, a centimeter there: does it matter?. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1995 Sep;33(3):532-534. Pubmedid: 7657884.


• Fortin PT, Freiberg AA, Rees R, Sondak VK, Johnson TM. Malignant melanoma of the foot and ankle. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1995 Sep;77(9):1396-1403. Pubmedid: 7673291.


• Slavik M, Liu PY, Kraut EH, Natale RB, Flaherty LE, Sondak VK. Evaluation of merbarone (NSC 336628) in disseminated malignant melanoma. A Southwest Oncology Group study. Invest New Drugs. 1995;13(2):143-147. Pubmedid: 8617577.


• Kern DH, Chien FW, Goodwein SN, Sondak VK. Effects of hormonal growth factors on colony formation and chemosensitivity of human tumors in agarose. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol. 1987 Dec;23(12):863-866. Pubmedid: 3320016.


• Lewis J, Zager J, Yu D, Pelaez D, Riker A, Dessureault S, Cruse C, Reintgen D, Puleo C, Sondak V. Full-Thickness Grafts Procured from Skin Overlying the Sentinel Lymph Node Basin; Reconstruction of Primary Cutaneous Malignancy Excision Defects. Ann Surg Oncol. 2008 Jun;15(6):1733-1740. Pubmedid: 18379848.


• Gonzalez RJ, Kudchadkar R, Rao NG, Sondak VK. Adjuvant Immunotherapy and Radiation in the Management of High-risk Resected Melanoma. Ochsner J. 2010 Summer;10(2):108-116. Pubmedid: 21603365. Pmcid: PMC3096199.

Dr. Vernon Sondak is the chair of the Department of Cutaneous Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center and director of surgical education.  He is a professor in the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine Department of Oncologic Sciences.
Dr. Sondak’s research and clinical interests include melanoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, Merkel cell carcinoma, desmoid tumors, as well as biomarkers of melanoma metastasis and vaccination strategies.
A graduate of Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. Sondak continued his training at the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, where he served a surgery residence and fellowship in surgical oncology.
Prior to joining Moffitt in 2004, Dr. Sondak was a professor of surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Dr. Sondak has received numerous awards, including Distinguished Alumnus Award from Boston University School of Medicine, an Honorary Member of the Hellenic Society for the Study of Melanoma, Best Doctors in America and America’s Top Physicians-Surgery.
Currently he is an associate section editor (melanoma) for the Annals of Surgical Oncology and a member of several journal editorial boards.  He participates on numerous national committees, including the International Melanoma Working Group, the executive council of the International Sentinel Node Society and the scientific advisory board of the Southwest Oncology Group.