Department of Surgery Faculty

Alfredo A. Santillan, MD, MPH

Division: Surgical Oncology
Email: santillangom@uthscsa.edu

Board Certifications:
American Board of Surgery

Education:
MD, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Monterrey, Mexico, 2000
MPH - Quantitative Methods, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 2002

Other Postgraduate Training:
Surgical Oncology Residency, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, 2009
General Surgery Residency, Texas Tech University Health Science Center, El Paso, Texas, 2007
Allando Ballantyne Head and Neck Fellowship, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, 2006

Clinical interests:
Breast cancer, melanoma and skin cancer, thyroid cancer, endocrine surgery (thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal surgery), sarcoma, colon and rectal cancer, surgical oncology

Resesarch interests:
Prognostic and predictive factors of cancer outcomes, cancer epidemiology, cancer biomarkers

Publications:
McGuire KP, Santillan AA, Kaur P, Meade T, Parbhoo J, Mathias M, Shamehdi C, Davis M, Ramos D, Cox CE. Are mastectomies on the rise? A 13-year trend analysis of the selection of mastectomy versus breast conservation therapy in 5865 patients. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 Oct;16(10):2682-90. Epub 2009 Aug 4.

Santillan AA, Delman KA, Beasley GM, Mosca PJ, Hochwald SN, Grobmyer SR, Andtbacka RH, Noyes RD, Kane JM, Ross MI, Tyler DS, Zager JS. Predictive factors of regional toxicity and serum creatine phosphokinase levels after isolated limb infusion for melanoma: a multi-institutional analysis. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 Sep;16(9):2570-8. Epub 2009 Jun 19.

Chakravarty G. Santillan AA, Galer C, Adams HP, El-Naggar AK, Jasser SA, Mohsin S, Mondal D, Clayman GL, Myers JN. Phosphorylated insulin like growth factor-I receptor expression and its clinico-pathological significance in Histologic subtypes of human thyroid cancer. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2009 Apr: 234(4):372-86. Epub 2009 Jan 28.

Santillan AA, Delman KA, Beasley GM, Mosca PJ, Hochwald SN, Grobmyer SR, Andtbacka RH, Noyes RD, Kane JM, Ross MI, Tyler DA, Zager JS. Predictive factors of regional and serologic toxicity after isolated limb infusion for melanoma: a multi-institutional analysis. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 Jun 19. Epub ahead of print.

Chakravarty G, Santillan AA, Galer C, Adams HP, El-Naggar AK, Jasser SA, Mohsin S, Mondal D, Clayman GL, Myers JN. Phosphorylated insulin like growth factor-I receptor expression and its clinico-pathological significance in histologic subtypes of human thyroid cancer. Exp Biol Med 2009;234(4):372-86

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

Santillan AA, Farma JM, Meredith KL, Shah NR, Kelley ST. Minimally invasive surgery for esophageal cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2008;6(9):879-884

Presentations:
Santillan AA, Dinwoodie W, Yeatman TJ, Eschrich S, Sullivan D, Rocha Lima C, Greenberg H, Chodkiewicz C, Trotti A, Marcet J, Dessureault S, Legenne P, Wissel P, Tyagi P, Shibata D. Molecular Predictors of Response to Neoadjuvant Topotecan and Radiation for Rectal Cancer: Correlative Study to a Phase I Trial. Society of Surgeons of the Alimentary Tract, Chicago, Illinois, May 2009

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. World Melanoma Congress, Vienna, Austria, May 2009

Zager JS, Santillan AA, Marzban SS, Puleo CA, Messina JL, Sondak VK. Risk factors for mortality in pediatric melanoma. World Melanoma Congress, Vienna, Austria, May 2009

McGuire KP, Santillan AA, Kaur P, Meade T, Parbhoo J, Mathias M, Shamehdi C, Davis M, Ramos D, Cox CE. Are mastectomies on the rise? A 13 year trend analysis of the selection of mastectomy vs. Breast Conservation Therapy in 5865 patients. Society of Surgical Oncology, Phoenix, Arizona, March 2009

Santillan AA, Delman KA, Beasley GM, Mosca PJ, Hochwald SN, Grobmyer SR, Andtbacka RH, Noyes RD, Kane JM, Ross MI, Tyler DA, Zager JS. Predictive factors of regional and serologic toxicity after isolated limb infusion for melanoma: a multi-institutional analysis. Regional Cancer Therapies, Marco Island, Florida, February 2009

Research:
Research Fellow, 1999-2000 - Molecular Biology Laboratory and Department of Biochemistry, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico
Research Assistant, 1999 - Multicenter Airway Research Collaboration, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Honors and Awards:
2009, Outstanding Oral Presentation, Moffitt Cancer Center Fellow's Research Symposium
2003-2007, Steve Dougherty MD Excellence Resident Award (Highest In-Service Training Exam), Texas Tech University HSC, El Paso, Texas

2006, Allando Ballantyne MD, Distinguished Fellowship Award - Five month rotation for senior residents at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas

2005, American College of Surgeons Excellence in Teaching Award - Top ten finalist Resident Teaching National Award

Professional organizations:
American College of Surgeons
Society of Surgical Oncology
American Society of Breast Surgeons

Biosketch: Dr. Santillan graduated with honors from Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Medical School, Mexico and did a Masters Degree in Public Health at Harvard University. He completed his General Surgery training at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso, Texas. As a senior surgery resident he was awarded with the Allando Ballantyne Fellowship in Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Santillan went on for advanced training in Surgical Oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Center in Tampa, Florida. His areas of expertise include oncologic and endocrine surgery with emphasis on surgical diseases of the breast, melanoma, sarcoma, thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal; specialized skills in sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer and melanoma, minimally invasive endocrine surgery including minimally invasive radioguided parathyroidectomy (MIRP), minimally invasive thyroidectomy, recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring, and laparoscopic adrenalectomy.

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