About

Jeremy Robert Etzkorn, MD, MS-Biostatistics, FACMS, is an Associate Professor of Dermatology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as the Lab Director at Bucks Dermatology and is the Director of Clinical Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Dermatology Oncology Center (PennDOC). His clinical expertise includes Mohs micrographic surgery and cutaneous oncology, with a focus on melanoma, Mohs surgery, and reconstruction. Dr. Etzkorn's research interests encompass melanoma, Mohs surgery, and skin cancer treatment, contributing to the understanding and advancement of surgical and oncological dermatology.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Internal medicine
• Family medicine
• Pathology
• Cancer research
• Nursing
• Dermatology

Selected publications

• Response to Xu et al., “Letter to Editor ‘Mohs micrographic surgery reduces the risk of reconstruction with positive margins, repeat surgeries, and time to definitive reconstruction compared to conventional excision of hand and foot melanomas: A retrospective cohort study’”

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2026-04-01

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• Buddy Relationships in Dermatologic Excisions for Skin Cancer: A feasibility study of one-to-one peer mentorship in patients with facial skin cancers treated with Mohs micrographic surgery

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2026-03-01

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• Perioperative racial disparities in patients with acral lentiginous melanoma undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery: A single-institution retrospective cohort study

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2026-03-01

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• Accuracy of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy to Predict Nodal Metastasis in Head and Neck Merkel Cell Carcinoma

  JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery · 2026-01-29

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  Importance: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine malignant neoplasm often affecting the head and neck. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is routinely performed; however, the accuracy and reliability of SLNB for head and neck MCC remains unknown. Objective: To determine the accuracy of SLNB in head and neck MCC and inform pre- and post-SLNB risk stratification. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a single-center cohort study of patients with clinically node-negative head and neck MCC who underwent SLNB from January 2006 to January 2025; median (IQR) follow-up was 1.9 (0.8-4.6) years. Data analysis was conducted from April to November 2025. Interventions: SLNB outcome and nodal disease status. Main Outcomes and Measures: SLNB accuracy measured by sensitivity, negative predictive value (NPV), and false negative (FN) rate. FN SLNB was defined as regional nodal recurrence at the first site of recurrence after a negative SLNB without concurrent local or in-transit recurrence. Factors associated with failed SLNB (defined as nonvisualization on lymphoscintigraphy, inability to identify the sentinel lymph node intraoperatively, or absence of nodal tissue in the pathology specimen) were evaluated using effect-size measures. Cox proportional hazards model identified factors associated with nodal disease, comparing patients who developed nodal disease (identified by SLNB or subsequent clinical and/or imaging evaluation) with those who did not develop nodal disease during follow-up. Results: Of 86 participants (mean [SD] age, 75.6 [9.6] years; 36 female [41.9%] and 50 male [58.1%] individuals) with clinically node-negative head and neck MCC, 69 (80.2%) underwent SLNB. Occult nodal disease was identified in 19 participants (27.5%). SLNB sensitivity was 52.6% (10 of 19 patients), NPV was 88.6% (31 of 35 patients), and FN rate was 26.7% (4 of 15 patients). SLNB failed in 29.0% (20 of 69 patients), with tumor location, female sex, and older age having medium to large effect on SLNB failure. Lymphovascular invasion, infiltrative growth pattern, and tumor size had the largest effect size on nodal disease with Cox analysis. Conclusions and Relevance: In this large single-site cohort study, SLNB remained a useful tool in head and neck MCC, identifying more than half of occult nodal disease. Given reduced performance in this region, patients with failed SLNB or negative SLNB plus high-risk features may benefit from tailored management, including intensified therapy and surveillance.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Mohs-Facilitated Excision: A Case Series of a Multidisciplinary Approach to Reduce Local Recurrence of Advanced Keratinocyte Carcinomas

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2026-04-01

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• Increasing Mohs Micrographic Surgery Utilization in Darker Skin Phenotypes From 2011 to 2022

  Dermatologic Surgery · 2026-01-07

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  BACKGROUND: Skin cancer incidence continues to rise, yet national treatment trends among lighter- and darker-skinned patient populations have not been compared. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate procedural skin cancer treatments trends. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors used Optum's deidentified Clinformatics Data Mart Database (2011-2022) to identify patients with light skin (race value: White; Skin Color Ethnicity [SCE] I‒III) and those with darker skin (race values: African, Asian, Hispanic; SCE IVa-VI). The authors identified skin cancer treatments using Current Procedural Treatment codes for Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS), wide local excision (WLE), and destructive skin cancer treatments with same-day International Classification of Disease 9/10 codes for basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, and Merkel cell carcinoma. Mann-Kendall tests and Joinpoint analysis assessed trends over time and evaluated average annual percent changes (AAPCs). RESULTS: The authors included 1,625,367 adult patients with 4,184,496 skin cancer treatments. Annual MMS frequency increased from 2011 to 2022 for both groups {SCE IVa‒VI 53.9% increase, AAPC 3.89% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.84-4.96, p < .001); SCE I‒III 46.7% increase, AAPC 3.86% (95% CI 3.61-4.12, p < .001)}. The rates for WLE and destructive methods decreased for both populations (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Mohs micrographic surgery utilization is increasing over time for both lighter- and darker-skinned patients.

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• Cartilage grafts for alar reconstruction in nasolabial interpolation flap surgery may negatively affect breathing function and cosmesis: A retrospective study

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2026-02-16

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• 0824 Mohs micrographic surgery for intermediate-thickness head and neck melanomas

  Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2025-07-21

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• Increased bleeding complications after nasolabial interpolation flap repair with only combined antiplatelet and anticoagulation use: A retrospective, single-center experience

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2025-09-01

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• Compliance with guidelines and timeliness of sentinel lymph node biopsy for Merkel cell carcinoma treated with Mohs micrographic surgery versus conventional excision at a tertiary academic center

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2025-10-17

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Frequent coauthors

• Joseph F. Sobanko

  114 shared

• Christopher J. Miller

  University of Pennsylvania

  107 shared

• Thuzar M. Shin

  Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

  106 shared

• Cerrene N. Giordano

  University of Pennsylvania

  37 shared

• H. William Higgins

  University of Pennsylvania

  35 shared

• Tess M. Lukowiak

  Johnson University

  27 shared

• Leora Aizman

  Johns Hopkins Medicine

  26 shared

• Shannon T. Nugent

  University of Pennsylvania

  21 shared

Labs

• Bucks DermatologyPI

Education

• Procedural Dermatology Fellow, Dermatology

  University of Pennsylvania

  2013

• Resident, Dermatology

  University of South Florida

  2012

• MD, Medicine

  Washington University in Saint Louis

  2008

• BS, Chemisty and Biology

  University of Illinois System

  2003