Giorgos C. Karakousis, MD
Dr. Giorgos C. Karakousis is a surgical oncologist at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. He is Chief of the Division of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery and a member of several of Penn’s specialty centers, including the Mesothelioma Program and the Pleural Disease Program. He has significant expertise in the complex procedure that combines cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, which has been shown to significantly improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma.[1]
Education and Career
Dr. Karakousis earned his undergraduate and Master of Science degrees at Yale University, where he studied Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry.
He earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and remained at Penn to complete an internship and residency in General Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
After completing a post-doctoral research fellowship within the Harrison Department of Surgical Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, he completed a fellowship in Surgical Oncology within the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Dr. Karakousis currently practices endocrine and oncology surgery at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the chief of the Division of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery and Emile and Roland T. deHellenbranth Professor in Surgery II.
Dr. Karakousis has several areas of specialty, including treating peritoneal mesothelioma patients using cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC, one of the most effective treatments for this rare cancer.
He holds multiple titles at Penn Health, including Professor of Surgery and Attending Staff Surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Full Researcher Member and Chair of the Cancer Committee, as well as Site Co-Team Leader for Melanoma Disease at the Abramson Cancer Center.
Dr. Karakousis is part of several Penn Medicine programs:
- Gastrointestinal Cancer Program
- Melanoma and Cutaneous Malignancies Program
- Mesothelioma Program
- Pleural Disease Program
- Sarcoma Program
Professional Memberships and Activities
Dr. Karakousis is a member of numerous associations and professional medical organizations, including:[1]
- American Board of Surgery Board Examiner, National
- American College of Surgeons (ACS), National
- American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Education Committee: Melanoma/Skin Cancers, National
- Association for Academic Surgery, National
- Complex General Surgical Oncology (CGSO) Board Examiner (through American Board of Surgery) for Certifying Exam, National
- Consultant for the General Surgery Certifying Exam, Skin & Soft Tissue Committee, American Board of Surgery, National
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, National
- Halsted Society, Audit Committee, National
- Halsted Society, National
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network Panel (Melanoma), National
- Philadelphia Academy of Surgery, Local
- Scientific Advisory Board, Melanoma International Foundation, National
- Sentinel Lymph Node Working Group, National
- Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging Appropriate Use Committee Expert Panel for Lymphoscintigraphy, National
- Society of Surgical Oncology, National
- Society of University Surgeons, National
- Surgical Biology Club II, National
Research
Dr. Karakousis is an active researcher who has participated as an investigator or co-investigator in numerous clinical trials.
His areas of focus include the impact of cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC on peritoneal malignancies, neoadjuvant therapy for resectable melanoma, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and cancer-associated fibroblasts.
His publications include:[1]
Vargas GM, Shafique N, Xu X, Karakousis G: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes as a prognostic and predictive factor for melanoma Expert Reviews of Molecular Diagnostics: 2024 (Epub).
Maker AV, Karakousis G: Educating cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs): Are they the student or the teacher? Annals of Surgical Oncology: 2024 (Epub).
Sharon CE, Karakousis GC: Neoadjuvant therapy for resectable melanoma Clinical & Experimental Metastasis: 2024 (Epub).
Miura J, Sabharwal S, Ghert M, Karakousis G, Roland CL: Great debate: Systematic re-resection after macroscopic complete unplanned excision of soft tissue sarcoma Annals of Surgical Oncology 31 (3): 2047-2050,2024.
Ma KL, Sharon CE, Tortorello GN, Keele L, Lukens JN, Karakousis GC, Miura JT: Delayed time to radiation and overall survival in Merkel cell carcinoma Journal of Surgical Oncology 128 (8): 1385-1393,2023.
Sharon CE, Karakousis GC: Educational Review: Neoadjuvant approaches to melanoma Annals of Surgical Oncology 29 (13): 8492-8500,2023.
Rose MA, Miura J, Sharon C, Ermer JP, Karakousis G, Wachtel H: Current patterns of treatment and outcomes in advanced melanoma at a single institution Journal of Surgical Oncology 291: 25-33,2023.
