Welcome

Welcome to Northside Melanoma & Sarcoma Specialists of Georgia. Our mission is to provide you with the best possible care and treatment for your cancer. Our physicians, Dr. Scott Davidson and Dr. Nicole Kounalakis are fellowship-trained, board-certified surgical oncologists that are experienced in treating melanoma, other unusual skin cancers or malignancies, and soft tissue sarcomas through a patient-centered approach.

We are part of the Melanoma & Sarcoma Programs at the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute (NHCI), one of the largest and most respected providers of comprehensive cancer care in the Southeast. Being a part of these leading community cancer programs allows you, the patient, to benefit from the combined expertise of our network of cancer specialists and gain access to groundbreaking melanoma and sarcoma clinical trials. Patient care is delivered through an integrated, multidisciplinary approach. For you this means all of your cancer specialists work together to provide the most comprehensive and individually tailored treatment plan. We are committed to excellent care, as well as patient education, support services, and behavioral health.

What is a Surgical Oncologist?

Cancer is treated by a number of different specialists, referred to as oncologists. There are three different types of oncologists: medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and radiation oncologists. A surgical oncologist has completed a two or three-year fellowship following his or her general surgical training and specializes in the surgical management of cancer. This expertise is applied in the surgical management of highly complex cancer surgeries, such as melanoma and sarcoma surgery, and is always based on current literature and evidence-based medicine. A surgical oncologist will often specialize in one or more types of cancer in order to provide expert care in that field. Surgical oncologists also work closely with medical and radiation oncologists to coordinate chemotherapy and radiation before and after surgery when applicable, and with a number of other support services to provide comprehensive, patient-specific, cancer care.

Our Services

As a part of NHCI’s Hospital Melanoma & Sarcoma Programs, our patients have access to the following comprehensive services:

• Thorough and accurate skin screening and evaluation
• Dedicated expertise in pathologic diagnosis of a variety of skin cancers and bone and soft tissue sarcomas
• Definitive surgical resection of your cancer by our outstanding surgical oncologists
• Advanced surgical treatment for bone sarcomas
• Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy, which provide accurate cancer staging
• Comprehensive state-of-the-art plastic and reconstructive surgery
• Advanced forms of radiation therapy which minimize damage to normal surrounding tissues
• Latest systemic therapies, including individually targeted therapy and immunotherapy
• On-site nurse navigator addresses the unique needs of melanoma and sarcoma patients
• Access to our cancer center, which includes nurse navigation, support groups and services, survivorship and nutrition services