Dermatology

HomeAbout UsFacultySancy A. Leachman, M.D., Ph.D.

Sancy A. Leachman, M.D., Ph.D.

Sancy A. Leachman, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor in Dermatology

  • B.A., 1985, University of Texas at Austin
  • M.D., Ph.D., 1993, University of Texas Southwestern
  • Internship in Internal Medicine, 1993-1994, University of Texas Southwestern
  • Residency in Dermatology, 1994-1997, Yale University
  • Fellowship in Cutaneous Oncology, 1997-1998, Yale University
  • Board Certification in Dermatology

Clinical and Research Interests

  • Dr. Leachman is interested in the treatment and scientific investigation of skin cancer, with a special emphasis on inherited cancer syndromes and familial melanoma. She is director of the Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute and also the director of the Tom C. Mathews Jr. Familial Melanoma Research Program, which is devoted to the investigation of human melanoma. Her research centers around molecular mechanisms involved in the development of skin cancer and focuses primarily on the familial melanoma syndrome. Her clinical practice is primarily composed of patients with pigmentary disorders such as vitiligo and patients with familial cancer syndromes such as the familial melanoma syndrome, Cowden's syndrome, and Peutz-Jeger's syndrome.
  • In addition to genetic skin cancer syndromes, Dr. Leachman also has an interest in rare genetic disorders that affect the skin. Her primary non-cancer focus has been on the ultra-rare autosomal dominant keratin disorder, pachyonychia congenita. She is chair of the International Pachyonychia Congenita Consortium, a worldwide consortium of physicians and scientists dedicated to improving care for these patients. She is working with TransDerm, Inc. and PC-Project (a public charity for pachyonychia congenita) to test a novel siRNA-based therapeutic agent in pachyonychia congenita patients.

Selected Publications

  • Leachman SA. Surgical Therapies, Part III: Melanocyte Transplants. Dermatologic Therapy 2001; Ed. Jean Bolognia, Blackwell Science, Vol 14:20-28
  • Florell SR, Coffin CM, Holden JA, Zimmermann JW, Gerwels JW, Summers BK, Jones DA, Leachman SA. Preservation of RNA for Functional Genomic Studies: A Multidisciplinary Tumor Bank Protocol. Modern Pathol 2001; 14(2):116-128
  • Florell SR, Boucher KM, Holden JA, Meyer LJ, Samlowski WE, Cannon-Albright LA, Zone JJ, Leachman SA. Failure to Detect Differences in Proliferation Status of Nevi from CDKN2A Mutation Carriers and Non-Carriers. J Invest Dermatol 2002: 118(2):386-387
  • Alexander A, Samlowski WE, Grossman D, Bruggers CS, Harris R, Zone JJ, Noyes RD, Bowen GM, Leachman SA. Metastatic Melanoma in Pregnancy: Risk of Transplacental Metastases in the Infant. J Clin Oncol. 2003; 21(11):2179-2186
  • Parker J, Florell SR, Alexander A, Disario JA, Shami PJ, Leachman SA. Pancreatic Carcinoma Surveillance in Patients with Familial Melanoma. Arch Dermatol. 2003; 139(8):1019-1025
  • Pond C, Leachman SA, Warters RL. Accumulation, Activation, and Inter-individual Variation of the Epidermal TP53 Protein in Response to Ionizing Radiation in Organ Cultured Human Skin. Rad Res. 2004; 161(6):739-745
  • Hansen CB, Wadge LM; Lowstutter K; Boucher K, Leachman SA. Clinical germline genetic testing for melanoma. Lancet Oncol. 2004; 5(5):314-319
  • Florell SR, Meyer LJ, Boucher KM, Porter-Gill PA, Hart M, Erickson J, Cannon-Albright LA, Pershing LK, Harris RM, Samlowski WE, Zone JJ, Leachman SA. Longitudinal Assessment of the Nevus Phenotype in a Melonoma Kindred. J Invest Dermatol 2004; 123(3):576-582
  • Call TR, Boucher K, Whiting B, Hart M, Newman K, Kinney A, Bowen G, Zone JJ, Branson D, Leachman SA. Motivating Factors for Attendance of Skin Cancer Screenings. J Am Acad Dermatol 2004; 51(4):642-644
  • Samlowski WE, Leachman SA, Wade M, Cassidy P, Porter-Gill P, Busby L, Wheeler R, Jones DA, Karpf AR. Evaluation of a 7-day Continuous Intravenous Infusion of Decitabine: Inhibition of Promoter-Specific and Global Genomic DNA Methylation. J Clin Oncol. 2005; 23-(17):1-9
  • Warters RL, Adamson PJ, Pond CD, Leachman SA. Melanoma cells express elevated levels of phosphorylated H2AX histone foci. Relationship to chromosome instability. J Invest Dermatol 2005; 124(4):807-817
  • Florell SR, Boucher KM, Garibotti G, Astle J, Kerber R, Mineau G, Wiggins C, Noyes RD, Tsodikov A, Cannon-Albright LA, Zone JJ, Samlowski WE, Leachman SA. A Population-Based Analysis of Prognostic Factors and Survivial in Familial Melanoma. J Clin Oncol. 2005; 23(28):7168-7177
  • Lewis TB, Robison JE, Bastien R, Milash B, Boucher K, Samlowski WE, Leachman SA, Noyes RD, Wittwer CT, Perreard L, Bernard PS. Molecular Classification of Melanoma using Real-Time Quantitative RT-PCR. Cancer 2005; 104(8):1678-1686
  • Leachman SA, Kaspar RL, Fleckman P, Florell SR, Smith FJD, McLean WHI, Lunny DP, Milstone LM, van Steensel MAM, Munro CS, O'Toole EA, Celebi10, Aleksej Kansky JT, Lane EB. Clinical and Pathological Features of Pachyonychia Congenita. J Invest Dermatol Symposium Proceedings. 2005; 10(1):3-17
  • Pho L, Grossman D, Leachman SA. Melanoma genetics: a review of genetic factors and clinical phenotypes in familial melanoma. Curr Opin Oncol. 2006; 18(2):173-179
  • Eliason MJ, Larson AA, Florell SR, Zone JJ, Cannon-Albright LA, Samlowski WE, Leachman SA. Population-based prevalence of CDKN2A mutations in Utah melanoma families. J Invest Dermatol 2006; 126(3):660-666
  • Larson AA, Leachman SA, Eliason MJ, Cannon-Albright LA. Population-based assessment of non-melanoma cancer risk in relatives of cutaneous melanoma probands. J Invest Dermatol. 2007; 127(1):183-188
  • Leachman SA, Jackson R, Eliason MJ, Larson AA, Bolognia J. The Management of Melanoma in Pregnancy. Journal of Dermatology Nursing. 2007; Apr; 19(2):145-152
  • Warters RL, Williams DL, Zhuplatov SB, Pond CD, Leachman SA. Protein Phosphorylation in Irradiated Human Melanoma Cells. Radiation Research 2007; 168, 535-544
  • Hickerson RP, Smith FJD, Reeves RE, Contag CH, Leake D, Leachman SA, Milstone LM, McLean WHI, Kaspar RL. Single-Nucleotide-Specific siRNA Targeting in a Dominant-Negative Skin Model. J Invest Dermatol. 2007; 128(3):594-605
  • Cotter MA, Thomas J, Cassidy P, Robinette K, Jenkins N, Florell SR, Leachman SA, Samlowski WE, Grossman D. N-acetylcysteine protects melanocytes against oxidative stress/damage and delays onset of UV-induced melanoma in mice. Clin Cancer Res. 2007; 13(19):5952-5958
  • Aspinwall LG, Leaf SL, Dola E, Kohlman W, Leachman SA. CKDN2A/p16 Genetic Test Reporting Improves Early Detection Intentions and Practices in High-Risk Melanoma Families. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 2008; 17:1510-1519
  • Seltzer MH, Leachman SA. Brest cancer and melanoma in the same pedigree. Dermatol Online J. 2008; 14(11).
  • Oh Adib C, Jones B, Liao H, Smith FJ, Solomon R, Egan CA, Leachman SA. Recurrent Mutation in Keratin 17 in a large family with pachyonychia congenita type 2. Arch Dermatol Res. 2008; 300(5), 211-214.
  • Pershing LK, Tirmuala VP, Nelson JL, Corlett JL, Lin A, Meyer LJ, Leachman SA. Reflectance Spectrophotometer: The Deramtologist's Sphygmomanometer for Skin Phototyping? J Invest Dermatol. 2008; 128(7), 1633-1640.
  • Kahlmann W, dunn K, Leachman SA. Role of Genetic Testing in Hereditary Melanoma. Expet Rev Dermatol. 2008; 3(6), 639-643.
  • Florell SR, Smoller BR, Boucher KM, Grossman D, Harris RM, Bowen GM, Leachman SA. Sampling of melanocytic nevi for research purposes: a prospective, pilot study to determine effect on diagnosis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008; 59)5), 814-21.
  • Bruno W, Ghiorzo P, Battistuzzi L, Ascierto PA, Barile M, Gargiulo S, Gensini F, Gliori S, Guida M, Lombardo M, Manoukian S, Menin C, Nasti S, Origone P, Pasini B, Pastorino L, Peissel B, Pizzichetta MA, Queirolo P, Rodolfo M, Romanini A, Scaini MC, Testori A, Tibiletti MG, Turchetti D, Leachman SA, Scarra GB. Clinical testing for familial melanoma in Italy: A cooperative study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009; (Epub ahead of print).

Dr. Sancy Leachman's Complete CV