Clinical Presentation and Biology of Mucosal Melanoma

Richard D. Carvajal, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center where he serves as both Director of Experimental Therapeutics and Director of the Melanoma Service within the Division of Hematology/Oncology. He serves as Co-Leader of the Precision Oncology and Systems Biology Program within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Carvajal’s research is focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with melanoma and other cancers, with the overall objective of controlling and curing these diseases. To achieve this goal, he has used our increasing knowledge of the underlying biology of cancer to rapidly integrate this knowledge, novel targeted and immunotherapeutic agents, and efficient trial design in order to improve the outcomes of cancer patients everywhere. Dr. Carvajal's melanoma research has included the study and treatment of uncommon clinical and molecular subsets of melanoma such as melanomas arising from the eye (uveal melanomas), from the mucosal surfaces of the body (mucosal melanomas), and from the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, or under the fingernails (acral melanomas). He has been the principal investigator or co-investigator of over 500 clinical trials, including several investigator-initiated, multi-center, Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) sponsored, and industry supported clinical trials. His research has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, the Food and Drug Administration, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, the Melanoma Research Alliance, the Melanoma Research Foundation, and the Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts, books, and book chapters. In addition to Dr. Carvajal's work at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, he serves as the co-chair of the International Rare Cancer Initiative Uveal Melanoma working group, a joint initiative between the National Cancer Institute, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, and the Cancer Research UK to enhance international collaboration in the conduct of clinical trials for uveal melanoma.