Our melanoma surgery service provides care for patients with cancer or potential cancer of the skin. Our melanoma surgeons, Alexander B. Dagum, MD, and Tara L. Huston, MD, are leaders on Stony Brook Medicine's multidisciplinary melanoma management team. They direct the preoperative evaluation, definitive operative treatment, and long-term postoperative care of patients.
Using a fully integrated multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of cancer, our melanoma team works closely with Stony Brook's radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, gynecological oncologists, and pathologists to provide the most up-to-date care.
Long-term treatment plans are developed in a multidisciplinary setting,
including physicians, surgery nurse specialists, and support staff.
In addition to overseeing the day-to-day care of patients, the melanoma team is actively involved in community education and skin cancer prevention. Every May, which is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, the team hosts a free skin cancer screening event (call 631-444-4000 for more information about this screening), and also visits local high schools to educate young adults on the dangers of sun exposure and tanning.
Stony Brook participates in several national clinical trials, and our participation allows us to use the latest in therapeutic advances for the care of our patients. While clinical trials are not for everyone, the availability of these trials serves as a hallmark of our ability to offer leading-edge treatment. For many patients, this is the only opportunity available in Suffolk County to benefit from such studies.
As a core service of the Stony Brook Cancer Center, our melanoma surgery service is committed to providing the most sophisticated, compassionate, and timely patient care.