Joseph Skitzki

MD, FACS
Surgical Oncology
Buffalo Spree Top Doctor 2024

Dr. Skitzki is a Buffalo Spree Top Doctor! See all of our physicians who made this year's list.

Top Doctors 2024

Cancers Treated:

Melanoma Skin

Specializing In:

Surgical oncology Melanoma Soft tissue sarcoma Regional therapies for cancer

Research Interests:

Immunotherapies for melanoma Animal modeling of regional therapies with the goal of clinical translation

About Joseph Skitzki

Biography:

Joseph J. Skitzki, MD, FACS, joined the faculty of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2009 and is an Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology and Associate Member of the Immunology Department. He is also an Associate Professor of Surgery, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo.

Dr. Skitzki earned his medical degree from the Pennsylvania State University’s College of Medicine, Hershey, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed a general surgery residency at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. Within his residency, Dr. Skitzki completed a two-year research fellowship in surgical oncology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons. He holds membership in the Society of Surgical Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research, American Society of Peritoneal Surface Malignancies, and the Association for Academic Surgery.

Dr. Skitzki is clinically active in the areas of melanoma and sarcoma with a focus on regional therapies. His independent lab focuses on immunotherapies for melanoma and animal modeling of regional therapies with the goal of clinical translation. Dr. Skitzki has authored or co-authored more than 50 journal publications, book chapters and abstracts.

Positions

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Professor of Oncology
  • Associate Professor, Department of Immunology
  • Associate Professor of Surgery
  • Chair, Melanoma/Sarcoma Disease Site Research Group

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo

  • Associate Professor of Surgery

Background

Education and Training:

  • MD - The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA

Residency:

  • Chief Resident, General Surgery - Case Western Reserve, University Integrated Residency, Cleveland, OH
  • Resident, General Surgery - Case Western Reserve, University Integrated Residency, Cleveland, OH

Fellowship:

  • Surgical Oncology - Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
  • T32 Research Fellow – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Board Certification:

  • American Board of Surgery
  • National Board of Medical Examiners

Professional Memberships:

  • American College of Surgeons
  • Society of Surgical Oncology
  • Association for Academic Surgery (AAS)
  • American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
  • Society of Thermal Medicine (STM)

Honors & Awards:

  • 2017 - Plenary Speaker, first-ever joint meeting of British Microcirculation Society (BMS) and UK Cell Adhesion Society (UKCAS), University of Birmingham, UK
  • 2013 - Faculty Research Recognition Award, Department of Surgery, State University of New York at Buffalo
  • 2012 - American Surgical Association Foundation Fellowship Research Award Finalist and Recipient
  • 2012 - Golden Apple Award – Teaching Award, Department of Surgery, State University of New York at Buffalo
  • 2010 - Golden Apple Award – Teaching Award, Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute
  • 2008 - Invited Participant - AACR/ASCO Vail Workshop, Methods in Clinical Cancer Research
  • 2008 - Roswell Fellowship Basic Science Award
  • 2007 - Invited Participant - Cancer Education Consortium, Molecular Oncology Workshop
  • 2006 - Case Western Department of Surgery, ABSITE Award
  • 2006 - Cleveland Surgical Society, Resident Research Competition, 2nd Place - Clinical
  • 2006 - American College of Surgeons Ohio Chapter, Annual Resident Surgeons Competition, 1st Place - Clinical
  • 2005-2006 - Case Western Department of Surgery Chief Resident Teaching Award
  • 2004 - Cleveland Surgical Society, Resident Research Competition, 1st Place - Experimental
  • 2003 - Robert V. Danto Cancer Research Award, American College of Surgeons Michigan Chapter, Annual Resident Surgeons Competition
  • 2001-2003 - Dudley P. Allen Research Scholar: Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • 2001-2003 - Case Western Department of Surgery Allen Scholar
  • 2000-2001 - Case Western Department of Surgery Junior Resident Teaching Award
  • 1999 - Alpha Omega Alpha
  • 1999 - Lange Medical Publishing Award for excellence in academic work
  • 1999 - Howard E. Morgan Award for outstanding achievement in basic research
  • 1999 - Annual Student Research Symposium Award
  • 1996, 1997, 1998 - Hammond Memorial Scholarship for Academic Excellence
  • 1996-1997 - Luzerne County Medical Society Scholarship
  • 1994 - Summa Cum Laude Graduate
  • 1990-1997 - Presidential Academic Scholarship

Featured on Cancer Talk

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Publications

Full Publications list on PubMed
  • Fisher DT, Muhitch JB, Kim M, Doyen KC, Bogner PN, Evans SS, Skitzki JJ.  Intraoperative intravital microscopy permits the study of human tumour vessels. Nat Commun. 2016 Feb 17;7:10684. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10684. PMID:26883450
  • Kim M, Barone TA, Fedtsova N, Gleiberman A, Wilfong CD, Alosi JA, Plunkett RJ, Gudkov A, Skitzki JJ. A murine model of targeted infusion for intracranial tumors. J Neurooncol. 2016 Jan;126(1):37-45. doi: 10.1007/s11060-015-1942-7. Epub 2015 Sep 16.  PMID:26376657
  • Gabriel E, Skitzki J. The Role of Regional Therapies for in-Transit Melanoma in the Era of Improved Systemic Options. Cancers (Basel). 2015 Jul 1;7(3):1154-77. doi: 10.3390/cancers7030830. PMID: 26140669  [PubMed] PMCID: PMC4586763
  • Mikucki ME, Fisher DT, Matsuzaki J, Skitzki JJ, Gaulin NB, Muhitch JB, Ku AW, Frelinger JG, Odunsi K, Gajewski TF, Luster AD, Evans SS. Non-redundant requirement for CXCR3 signalling during tumoricidal T-cell trafficking across tumour vascular checkpoints.  Nat Commun. 2015 Jun 25;6:7458. doi: 10.1038/ncomms8458.  PMID:26109379
  • Kim M, Blum AB, Haslinger ML, Donahue MJ, Fisher DT, Skitzki JJ, Park IY. Quinacrine for extremity melanoma in a mouse model of isolated limb perfusion (ILP). Surg Today. 2015 Mar;45(3):355-62. doi: 10.1007/s00595-014-0952-y. Epub 2014 Jul 8.  PMID:24998594
  • Sanghera SS, Skitzki JJ. Targeting the heat shock response in cancer: tipping the balance in transformed cells. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2013 Oct;22(4):665-84. doi: 10.1016/j.soc.2013.06.004. Epub 2013 Aug 1. Review. PMID:24012394
  • Haslinger M, Francescutti V, Attwood K, McCart JA, Fakih M, Kane JM 3rd, Skitzki JJ. A contemporary analysis of morbidity and outcomes in cytoreduction/hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion. Cancer Med. 2013 Jun;2(3):334-42. doi: 10.1002/cam4.80. Epub 2013 Apr 16. PMID:23930210
  • Francescutti V, Rivera L, Seshadri M, Kim M, Haslinger M, Camoriano M, Attwood K, Kane JM 3rd, Skitzki JJ.  The benefit of intraperitoneal chemotherapy for the treatment of colorectal carcinomatosis. Oncol Rep. 2013 Jul;30(1):35-42. doi: 10.3892/or.2013.2473. Epub 2013 May 15. PMID:23673557
  • Burdelya LG, Brackett CM, Kojouharov B, Gitlin II, Leonova KI, Gleiberman AS, Aygun-Sunar S, Veith J, Johnson C, Haderski GJ, Stanhope-Baker P, Allamaneni S, Skitzki J, Zeng M, Martsen E, Medvedev A, Scheblyakov D, Artemicheva NM, Logunov DY, Gintsburg AL, Naroditsky BS, Makarov SS, Gudkov AV. (2013) Central role of liver in anticancer and radioprotective activities of Toll-like receptor 5 agonist.  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 May 14;110(20):E1857-66PMID:23630282 PMCID: PMC3657788
  • Kim M, Camoriano M, Muhitch JB, Kane JM 3rd, Skitzki JJ. A novel mouse model of isolated limb perfusion for extremity melanoma. J Surg Res. 2012 Nov;178(1):294-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2012.03.032. Epub 2012 Apr 5. PMID:22494912
  • Francescutti V, Skitzki JJ. Sarcomas and the immune system: implications for therapeutic strategies. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2012 Apr;21(2):341-55. doi: 10.1016/j.soc.2011.11.002. Epub 2011 Dec 16. Review. PMID:22365524
  • Fisher DT, Chen Q, Skitzki JJ, Muhitch JB, Zhou L, Appenheimer MM, Vardam TD, Weis EL, Passanese J, Wang WC, Gollnick SO, Dewhirst MW, Rose-John S, Repasky EA, Baumann H, Evans SS.  IL-6 trans-signaling licenses mouse and human tumor microvascular gateways for trafficking of cytotoxic T cells. J Clin Invest. 2011 Oct;121(10):3846-59. doi: 10.1172/JCI44952. Epub 2011 Sep 19. PMID:21926464
  • Ito F, Camoriano M, Seshadri M, Evans SS, Kane JM 3rd, Skitzki JJ. Water: a simple solution for tumor spillage. Ann Surg Oncol. 2011 Aug;18(8):2357-63. doi: 10.1245/s10434-011-1588-4. Epub 2011 Feb 8. PMID: 21301970
  • Skitzki JJ, Repasky EA, Evans SS. Hyperthermia as an immunotherapy strategy for cancer. Curr Opin Investig Drugs. 2009 Jun;10(6):550-8. Review. PMID:19513944
  • Skitzki JJ, Muhitch JB, Evans SS. Tracking the elusive lymphocyte: methods of detection during adoptive immunotherapy. Immunol Invest. 2007;36(5-6):807-27. PMID:18161530