Michael R. Sargen, M.D.

Assistant Clinical Investigator

Clinical Genetics Branch

NCI/DCEG

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9609 Medical Center Dr.
Room SG/6E542
Rockville, MD 20850

+1 240 276 7354

michael.sargen@nih.gov

Research Topics

Dr. Michael Sargen’s research combines genomic and epidemiologic methodologies to understand the etiology of cancer. He seeks to:

  • Identify genetic and environmental risk factors for skin cancer
  • Characterize the clinical and histologic phenotype of melanoma susceptibility syndromes
  • Evaluate the effect of whole-body screening and chemoprevention on melanoma thickness and survival for members of melanoma-prone families
  • Identify diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic biomarkers for melanoma, sebaceous carcinoma, and other skin cancers
  • Identify novel inherited gene variants that contribute to the development of atypical spitzoid tumors in children, adolescents, and young adults.

Biography

Dr. Sargen joined the Clinical Genetics Branch (CGB) of DCEG as a clinical fellow in 2018. He received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013, and completed a residency in dermatology at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and a fellowship in dermatopathology at Stanford University, California. Since joining DCEG, Dr. Sargen has served as the lead physician of the melanoma family study at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), performing skin cancer screening exams and diagnostic biopsies for study participants. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Sargen has led multiple research projects characterizing the clinical and histologic phenotype of melanoma-prone families, including the first study to report the novel association between germline pathogenic variants of Protection of Telomeres 1 (POT1) gene and melanomas with Spitzoid morphology. Dr. Sargen was promoted to assistant clinical investigator in 2021.

Selected Publications

  1. Sargen MR, Calista D, Elder DE, Massi D, Chu EY, Potrony M, Pfeiffer RM, Carrera C, Aguilera P, Alos L, Puig S, Elenitsas R, Yang XR, Tucker MA, Landi MT, Goldstein AM. Histologic features of melanoma associated with germline mutations of CDKN2A, CDK4, and POT1 in melanoma-prone families from the United States, Italy, and Spain. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;83(3):860-869.
  2. Sargen MR, Helgadottir H, Yang XR, Harland M, Hatton JN, Jones K, Hicks BD, Hutchinson A, Curry M, Tucker MA, Goldstein AM, Pfeiffer RM. Impact of Transcript (p16/p14ARF) Alteration on Cancer Risk in CDKN2A Germline Pathogenic Variant Carriers. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2022;6(6).
  3. Sargen MR, Kim J, Potjer TP, Velthuizen ME, Martir-Negron AE, Odia Y, Helgadottir H, Hatton JN, Haley JS, Thone G, Widemann BC, Gross AM, Yohe ME, Kaplan RN, Shern JF, Sundby RT, Astiazaran-Symonds E, Yang XR, Carey DJ, Tucker MA, Stewart DR, Goldstein AM. Estimated Prevalence, Tumor Spectrum, and Neurofibromatosis Type 1-Like Phenotype of CDKN2A-Related Melanoma-Astrocytoma Syndrome. JAMA Dermatol. 2023;159(10):1112-1118.

Related Scientific Focus Areas

This page was last updated on Thursday, April 4, 2024