Department of Surgery Faculty
Alfredo A. Santillan, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Division: Surgical Oncology
Email: santillangom@uthscsa.edu
Local hospital affiliations:
Cancer Therapy & Research Center
Methodist Healthcare
CHRISTUS Santa Rosa
University Hospital
Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital
Medical Arts & Research Center (MARC) Ambulatory Surgery Center
Board Certifications:
American Board of Surgery
Education:
MD, Monterrey Tec, Monterrey, Mexico, 2000
MPH - Quantitative Methods, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 2002
Other Postgraduate Training:
Surgical Oncology Fellowship, 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 for Senior Surgery Residents, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston,
Texas, 2006
Clinical interests:
Breast cancer, endocrine surgery (thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal surgery), melanoma and skin cancer,
sarcoma, colon and rectal cancer, surgical oncology
Resesarch interests:
Prognostic and predictive factors of cancer outcomes, cancer epidemiology, cancer biomarkers
Biosketch: Dr. Santillan graduated with honors from Monterrey Tec Medical School and did a Masters Degree in Public Health at Harvard University. He completed his General Surgery training at Texas Tech University. As a senior surgery resident he was awarded with the Allando Ballantyne Fellowship in Head and Neck Surgery at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas. Dr. Santillan went on for advanced training in Surgical Oncology at Moffitt Cancer and Research Center, University of South Florida.
His areas of expertise include oncologic and endocrine surgery with emphasis on surgical diseases of breast, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, colon, melanoma, sarcoma; specialized skills are in sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer and melanoma, breast conservation, skin-sparing mastectomy with reconstruction, and minimally invasive endocrine surgery including minimally invasive radioguided parathyroidectomy (MIRP), minimally invasive thyroidectomy, recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring, and laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Dr. Santillan chairs the cutaneous oncology tumor board at CTRC and he is the Chief of the Cutaneous Oncology program in the Division of Surgical Oncology.
Professional organizations:
American College of Surgeons
Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO)
American Society of Breast Surgeons
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
Society of Surgeons of the Alimentary Tract
Association of Academic Surgeons
American Head and Neck Society
American Association of Endocrine Surgeons
Publications:
Kupferman ME, de la Garza GO, Santillan AA, Williams MD, Varghese BT, Huh W, Roberts D, Weber RS.
Outcomes
of pediatric patients with malignancies of the major salivary glands.
Ann Surg Oncol. 2010 Dec;17(12):3301-7. Epub 2010 Jun 29.
Zevallos JP, Jain K, Roberts D, Santillan AA, Huh W, Hanna EY, Kupferman ME. Modern multimodality therapy for pediatric nonorbital parameningeal sarcomas. Head Neck. 2010 Nov;32(11):1501-5.
Santillan AA, Zager JS. Isolated limb infusion for melanoma: a less morbid alternative to hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion in the US. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol. 2010 Jan 17. [Epub ahead of print]
Kiluk JV, Ly QP, Santillan AA, Meade T, Ramos D, Reintgen DS, Dessureault S, Davis M, Shamehdi C, Cox CE. Erratum to: Axillary Recurrence Rate Following Negative Sentinel Node Biopsy for Invasive Breast Cancer: Long-Term Follow-Up. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 Dec 3. [Epub ahead of print]
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 27. 2009; publication ahead of print Dec 14, 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 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:
2011, Guest speaker, National Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, 'Surgical Oncology
Imaging', San Antonio, TX
2011, American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, VA Liaison Physician, Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital, San Antonio, TX
2011, Cancer Prevention & Population Science Program, Cancer Therapy & Research Center, San Antonio, TX
2011, Guest Speaker, Exito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training Program, Institute for Health
Promotion Research, UT Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
2011, Society of Surgical Oncology Training Committee
2011, Society of Surgical Oncology Melanoma/Sarcoma Disease Site Workforce
2010, San Antonio Magazine 'Best Doctors'
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
