Annual Report 2007 3-24-08.pdf - Moffitt Cancer Center

Cutaneous Team Builds The Program
While the new CMRC will move translational research in the
area of melanoma to the next level of excellence, the Cutaneous
Oncology Program team, led by Vernon Sondak, M.D., surgical
oncologist, has long been at the forefront of melanoma research
and treatment initiatives. Many of the program members have
been with Moffitt since the Cancer Center
opened its doors more than 20 years ago.
Here we will meet some of the many individuals
who helped establish and move the
Cutaneous Oncology Program forward.
Ronald C. DeConti, M.D.
Neil A. Fenske, M.D.
L. Frank Glass, M.D.
Ronald C. DeConti, M.D., medical
oncologist, was Moffitt’s Physician of the
Year in 2000 and also serves as chief of
Moffitt Hospital’s Medical Service and hospital
medical director. Dr. DeConti specializes
in melanoma, Merkel cell cancer and head
and neck cancers with a focus on clinical
trials. He received his M.D. from the Yale
University School of Medicine in 1959.
Neil A. Fenske, M.D., a dermatologist,
is chair of the Department of Dermatology
and Cutaneous Surgery at the University
of South Florida. He also plays an integral
role in the Cutaneous Oncology Program
at Moffitt, where he sees patients and performs
surgeries. He received his M.D. from
the St. Louis University School of Medicine
in 1973. He is board-certified in dermatology
with a subspecialty of dermatopathology.
Besides melanoma, his research interests
are in other forms of skin cancer, aging
skin and psoriasis.
“The growth of the Cutaneous Oncology Program has been awe-inspiring,”
says Dr. Fenske. “Our work on the role of lymphatic mapping and the sentinel
node biopsy has changed the way melanoma is managed. It’s been a real
privilege to be part of the effort to provide our patients with the highest level
of care available.”
L. Frank Glass, M.D., received his M.D. from Louisiana State University
in 1985. A board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Glass has research interests in
melanoma and other skin cancers. His subspecialty is dermatopathology.
“One of the biggest changes in the Cutaneous Oncology Program has been
growth, in terms of an ever-increasing number of patients and more specialists
working within the program,” says Dr. Glass.
He performs up-front surveillance and follow-up for patients who have had
melanoma and are at high risk. “With careful follow-up, further melanomas in
these patients will be caught at an early stage.” Because of his strong interest
in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, Dr. Glass also is a member of Moffitt’s Malignant
Hematology Program.
C. Wayne Cruse, M.D.
C. Wayne Cruse, M.D., received his M.D. from the University of Louisville
in 1972. He is board-certified in surgery and plastic surgery. His research interests
are in cutaneous oncology and include melanoma, sarcoma, wounds and reconstruction following surgery.
“I have been associated with the Cutaneous Oncology Program since its initiation,” says Dr. Cruse.
“Since that time, we’ve cared for more melanoma patients than any other institution in Florida and
the southeastern U.S. and have made great progress in early detection, diagnosis and treatment of
melanoma. Much more needs to be accomplished, however.”
18 MOFFITT CANCER CENTER