Edmund Bartlett, MD

The treatment of melanoma is changing at a remarkable rate. Recent trials have changed our surgical approach to people with disease that has spread to lymph nodes. The development of effective immunotherapies has revolutionized our ability to treat advanced disease. I work closely with my partners in medical and radiation oncology to determine the best care plan for people with melanoma. I am actively studying ways we can apply the lessons and progress we have made in melanoma to such rare cancers as soft tissue sarcoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. 

For early-stage melanoma, I am interested in using sentinel lymph node biopsy. This special type of biopsy helps us tell how likely it is that the cancer will spread to other parts of the body. I also work to identify people who can avoid the procedure. For higher-risk melanoma, when the disease may have already spread to the lymph nodes, I am working to refine the best types of treatments — including surgery, radiation, and immune therapies — and which order to use them. I am a member of the Melanoma Disease Management Team. This wonderful resource allows care teams to discuss patients in a multidisciplinary approach. We are able to use our collective expertise to identify the best treatment for each individual.

I am also a member of the Sarcoma Disease Management Team. Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare cancer with approximately 80 subtypes. Each subtype behaves and responds to treatment differently. As such, people with soft tissue sarcoma need a care team with deep expertise, one that is dedicated to using a personalized approach for each patient. MSK has been a leader in applying new immune therapy strategies to sarcoma. I am interested in identifying sarcoma subtypes that may be effectively treated by immunotherapy.

I have a particular research interest in the development of clinical trials. My current efforts are focused on using immunotherapy in patients before it has been detected if the cancer will spread. One such trial currently enrolling patients uses immunotherapy treatments in people with sarcoma before surgery in the hopes it will decrease the chance of the cancer coming back. The trials we are developing and the studies we perform are motivated by our interest in providing new treatment options that will maximize chances for a cure and minimize treatment-related complications.

Although the research being done to advance our treatment of people with cancer is critically important, I am first and foremost a surgeon who interested in providing optimal care for my patients. I received dedicated training in the treatment of sarcoma as the Kristen Ann Carr Sarcoma Fellow at MSK and was awarded the Michael E. Burt Award for clinical excellence in 2018.