SOM Faculty Profile : Gorgun Akpek

Gorgun Akpek

Gorgun Akpek M.D.

Academic Title: Associate Professor

Primary Appointment: Medicine

gakpek@umm.edu

Location: UMMC, N9E12

Phone: (410) 328-1230 (office)

Phone: (410) 328-8804 (clinic)

Fax: (410) 328-1975

Personal History

EDUCATION/TRAINING
1985-1995: Medical School, Medicine Residency and Medical Oncology Fellowship, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
1994: Visiting fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
1995-1998: Hematology and Oncology Fellowship, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA
1998-2000: Bone Marrow Transplantation fellowship, Johns Hopkins University Oncology Center, Baltimore, MD
2000-2003: Faculty, Research Associate in GVHD Program Johns Hopkins University Oncology Center, Baltimore, MD
2005: Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Investigation,The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health
2003-present: Clinical Faculty, Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine

AWARDS AND HONORS
Top score in the high school University Entrance Examination (1979); Chemistry and Physics Awards, Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Council (1979); Higher Education Scholarship Award from the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Council (1980-1985); Chief's Hematology Scholar Award, Boston University (1995); Oncology Clinical Scholar Award, Boston University (1996); Jo-Ann McCaleb Award from Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Program, Boston University Boston, MA (1997); Chief's Oncology Scholar Award, Boston University (1998); Travel Merit Award, American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (2001); Henry Christian Award, American Federation of Medical Research (AFMR) 2002.

Research Interests

At the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, I have responsibilities both as an attending physician and as a clinical cancer investigator, with a primary focus on improving the outcome after allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplantation (BMT) in patients with otherwise incurable hematologic malignancies, myelodysplastic syndrome and other bone marrow failure syndromes by implementing new trials. My primary research interest in the transplant field relates to the development of novel approaches to the management of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), the predominant cause of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic BMT. I started working on GVHD when I I was a fellow at Johns Hopkins Cancer Center.

Two key components of our transplant program are providing a good clinical care to our patients using standard treatment modalities and implementing clinical trials to offer patients innovative therapies that aren't commercially available. Working with the multi-disciplinary faculty of the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, I am responsible for supporting the development of such innovative clinical trials and the continued expansion of the autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation program.

I am also interested in the management of relapse state post-transplant, facilitating immune reconstitution, as well as exploring new conditioning regimens and sources of stem cell, such as cord-blood transplant, for the treatment of patients who have no available match donor (related or unrelated).

My other clinical research activities include non-transplant management of certain hematologic malignancies with special interest in the following diseases; AL-amyloidosis, cutaneous lymphoma/mycosis fungoides, Hodgkins lymphoma, multiple myeloma, MDS/AML and aplastic anemia.

Clinical Speciality

Hematology and Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplantation

Publications

Select Peer-reviewed Publications

Koç Y, Güllü I, Akpek G, Akpolat T, Kansu E, Kiraz S, Batman F, Kansu T, Balkanci F, Akkaya S, Telatar H, Zileli T: Vascular involvement in Behçet’s disease. The Journal of Rheumatology 19:402-410, 1992.

Comenzo RL, Vosburgh E, Falk RH, Sanchorawala, Reisenger J, Dubrey S, Dember LM, Berk JL, Akpek G, LaValley M, O’Hara C, Wright DG, Skinner M. Dose-Intensive Melphalan With Blood Stem-Cell Support for the Treatment of AL (Amyloid Light-Chain) Amyloidosis: Survival and Responses in 25 Patients. Blood 91(10): 3662-3670, 1998.

Koc Y, Akpek G, Kansu E, Kars A, Tekuzman G, Baltali E, Guler N, Barista I, Gullu I, Ozisik Y, Firat D. Bolus and Continuous Infusion Mitoxantrone in Newly Diagnosed Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Results of Two Consecutive Phase II Clinical Studies. Cancer Investigation 16:355-365, 1998.

Akpek G, Hartshorn KL. Failure of oral nitrate and chalcium channel bloker therapy to prevent 5-fluorouracil-related myocardial ischemia. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology 43:157-161, 1999.

Akpek G, MacAneny D, Weintraub L. Comparative response to splenectomy in autoimmune hemolytic anemia with or without associated disease. American Journal of Hematology 61:98-102, 1999.

Comenzo RL, Sanchorawala V, Fisher C, Akpek G, Farhat M, Cerda S, Berk JL, Dember LM, Falk R, Finn K, Skinner M, Vosburgh EIntermediate-dose intravenous melphalan and blood stem cells mobilized with sequential GM+G-CSF or G-CSF alone to treat AL (amyloid light chain) amyloidosis. Br J Haematol 104(3):553-559, 1999.

Akpek G, Koh HK, Bogen S, O'Hara C, Foss FM. Chemotherapy with etoposide, vincristine, doxorubicin, bolus cyclophosphamide, and oral prednisone in patients with refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Cancer 86(7):1368-1376, 1999.

Akpek G, Borowitz MJ, Seifter EJ. A Clinician’s Guide to the Updated REAL/WHO Classification of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Part I (Indolent Lymphomas). Turkish Journal of Cancer 30:5-14, 2000.

Akpek G, Borowitz MJ, Seifter EJ. A Clinician’s Guide to the Updated REAL/WHO Classification of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Part II (Aggressive Lymphomas). Turkish Journal of Cancer 30:53-67, 2000.

Akpek, G. Current Controversies in Bone Marrow Transplantation. A Book Review. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 92(16):1358-59, 2000.

Akpek G, Valladares J, Lee L, Margolis J, Vogelsang GB. Pancreatic Insufficiency in Patients with Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease. Bone Marrow Transplant 27:163-166, 2001.

Akpek G. Zahurak ML, Piantadosi S, Margolis, J, Dohorty J, Davidson R, Vogelsang GB. Development of a prognostic model for grading chronic graft-versus-host disease. Blood 97:1219-1226, 2001.

Akpek G, MacAneny D, Weintraub L. Risks and Benefits of Splenectomy in Myelofibrosis with Myeloid metaplasia: A retrospective Analysis of 26 Cases. Journal of Surgical Oncology 77:42-48, 2001.

Akpek G, Lee SM, Gagnon DR, Cooley TP, Wright D. Bone Marrow Aspiration, Biopsy and Culture in the Evaluation of HIV-Infected Patients for Invasive Mycobactria and Histoplasma Infections. American Journal of Hematology 67:100-106, 2001.

Akpek G, Akpek EK, Li S, Green RA, Borowitz MJ. Unusual locations for lymphomas: case 3. Successive Occurrence of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma with Bilateral Conjunctival Involvement in a Patient with Low-Grade B-Cell Lymphoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology 19:2964-2966, 2001.

Akpek G, Comenzo RL. Primary (AL) Amyloidosis: A Concise Review. Turkish Journal of Cancer 31(1):5-14, 2001.

Akpek G, Lee SM, Anders V, Vogelsang GB. A high-dose pulse steroid regimen for controlling active chronic graft-versus-host disease. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 7(9):495-502, 2001.

Akpek G, Ambinder RF, Piantadosi S, Abrams RA, Brodsky RA, Vogelsang GB, Zahurak ML, Fuller D, Miller CB, Noga SJ, Fuchs E, Flinn IW, O'Donnell P, Seifter EJ, Mann RB, Jones RJ. Long-Term Results of Blood and Marrow Transplantation for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. J Clin Oncol 19:4314-4321, 2001.

Akpek G, Vosburgh E, Colarusso T, Waraska K, Lerner A, Skinner M, Wright DG, Comenzo RL. Immune Reconstitution Following Autologous Blood Stem Cell Transplantation (ABSCT) in Patients with AL-Amyloidosis (AL). Bone Marrow Transplantation 28:1005-1109, 2001.

Lee SJ, Vogelsang G, Gilman A, Weisdorf DJ, Antin JH, Horowitz MM, Akpek G, Flowers ME, Couriel D, Martin PJ. A survey of diagnosis, management, and grading of chronic GVHD. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 8:32-39, 2002.

Akpek G. Clinical Grading in Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Is It Time For Change? Leukemia and Lymphoma 2002;43(6):1211-1220.

Akpek G, Boitnott JK, Lee LA, Hallick JP, Torbenson M, Jacobsohn DA, Arai S, Anders V, Vogelsang GB. Hepatitic variant of graft-versus-host disease after donor lymphocyte infusion. Blood 2002 Dec 1;100(12):3903-7

Akpek G, Knight RD, Wright DG. Use of oral mucosal neutrophil counts to detect the onset and resolution of profound neutropenia following high-dose myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Am J Hematol 2003, 72(1):13-9

Akpek G, Chinratanalab W, Lee LA, Torbenson M, Hallick JP, Anders V, Vogelsang GB. Gastrointestinal involvement in chronic graft-versus-host disease: A clinicopathologic study. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2003 Jan;9(1):46-51

Akpek G, Lee SJ, Flowers ME, Pavletic Z, Arora M, Lee S, Piantadosi S, Guthrie K, Lynch J, Horowitz MM, Antin JH, Weisdorf D, Martin P, Vogelsang GB. Performance of a new clinical grading in chronic graft-versus-host disease: a multicenter study. Blood. 2003 Aug 1;102(3):802-9.

Rapoport AP, Guo C, Badros A, Hakimian R, Akpek G, Kiggundu E, Meisenberg B, Mannuel H, Takebe N, Fenton R, Bolanos-Meade J, Heyman M, Gojo I, Ruehle K, Natt S, Ratterree B, Withers T, Sarkodee-Adoo C, Phillips GL, Tricot G. Autologous stem cell transplantation followed by consolidation chemotherapy for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2004;34:883-90.

Balanos-Meade J, Ioffe O, Hey JC, Vogelsang GB, Akpek G. Lymphocytic pneumonitis as the Manifestation of Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease of the Lung. American Journal of Hematology 2005;79:132-135

Jain M, Titanji R, Rappoport AP, Wang W, Gocke C, Cross A, Akpek G. A fatal Clostridium Infection in an Allogeneic Stem cell Transplant Recipient. Bone Marrow Transplantation 2005;36:455-457

Pavletic SZ, Martin P, Lee SJ, Mitchell S, Jacobsohn D, Cowen EW, Turner ML, Akpek G, Gilman A, McDonald G, Schubert M, Berger A, Bross P, Chien JW, Couriel D, Dunn JP, Fall-Dickson J, Farrell A, Flowers ME, Greinix H, Hirshfiled S, Gerber L, Kim S, Knobler R, Lachenbruch PA, Miller FW, Mitteleman B, Papadopoulos E, Parsons SK, Przepiorka D, Robinson M, Ward M, Reeve B, Rider LG, Schulman H, Schultz KR, Weisdorf D, Vogelsanf GB. Measuring Therapeutic Response in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: IV. Response Criteria Working Group Report. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2006 Mar;12(3):252-66.

Akpek G. Titrating Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Is It Worth a Try? Bone Marrow Transplantation 2006;38:653-6.

Badros A, Goloubeva O, Dalal JS, Can I, Thompson J, Rapoport AP, Heyman M, Akpek G, Fenton RG. Neurotoxicity of bortezomib therapy in multiple myeloma: a single-center experience and review of the literature. Cancer 2007;110:1042-49.

Ilyas C, Forrest G, Akpek G. Potential clinical benefit of donor lymphocyte infusion in the treatment of refractory invasive fungal pneumonia. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2007;40:599-601.

Book Chapters

Akpek G. "Haematological Findings in Mycobacterial Infections Among Immunosuppressed and Immunocompetent Patients". In Tuberculosis edited by M. Monir Madkour, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany, 2003, Chapter 14, pp. 213-230.

Akpek G, Via CS, Vogelsang GB. "Clinical Spectrum and Therapeutic Approaches to Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease". In Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Third edition, Eds Ferrara JLM, Deeg HJ, and Parker C, Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, 2005.

Akpek G, Lee SJ. Risk Factors and Predictive Models for Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease. In Print.

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