About me
Suthee Rapisuwon, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist, medical geneticist, and hematologist at MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. As a specialist in skin melanomas and genetic medical conditions, Dr. Rapisuwon treats cancers of the skin, prostate, kidney, testicles, and bladder. He also is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, and American Association of Cancer Research.
Dr. Rapisuwon’s approach to care centers on providing individualized and comprehensive services. He begins by fully educating patients about their diagnoses and clearly discussing medication, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and clinical trial options. He then works with them to design comprehensive care plans. He is passionate about combining standard protocols with medical advances to help patients live healthier lives.
Dr. Rapisuwon is dedicated to advancing cancer research of the skin, eyes, and urinary tract as well as those caused by metabolic, hereditary, and other genetic factors. As a principal and translational researcher, he is part of national studies that examine novel diagnostic tools and medication therapies to treat advanced melanomas, non-melanoma skin cancers, and other diseases. He also has a particular interest in innovative treatments that could provide new hope to people who have complex eye cancers. Referring physicians should know that Dr. Rapisuwon is part of a countrywide network of clinicians who collaborate to connect patients with clinical trial opportunities.
Philosophy of Care
“I’ve devoted my career to clinical research, a field of scientific study focused on discovering better ways to save lives and improve health. Whether such breakthroughs help people defeat cancers or manage them like chronic diseases, every step is important. I hope my commitment to care not only helps current patients, but also leads to new pathways that comforts future generations too.
Additionally, I’m a volunteer doctor with the Marines – yet another way I enjoy serving others and giving back to the community.”
Clinical areas of focus
- Genitourinary Cancer Treatment
- Renal Metastases Treatment
Procedures I perform
- Abdominal Wall Biopsy
- Biopsy Of Salivary Gland
- Biopsy Of Tongue
- Bladder Cancer Treatment
- Blood Clot Treatment
- Blood Transfusion
- Bone Biopsy
- Bone Cancer Staging
- Bone Marrow Aspiration
- Cancer Treatment
- Chemotherapy Administration
- Cold Laser Therapy
- Deep Vein Thrombosis Management
- Ecmo Cannulation
- Fallopian Tube Removal
- Genitourinary Cancer Treatment
- Hepatic Artery Infusion
- Intravenous (IV) Fluids
- Introduction Of Antineoplastic
- Kidney Cancer Treatment
- Laryngoscopy With Tumor Excision
- Liver Tumor Ablation
- Low-Dose Rate Brachytherapy For Prostate Cancer
- Metastatic Cancer Treatment
- Nonautologous Red Blood Cells Transfusion
- Packed Red Blood Cell Transfusion
- Palliative Care For Bone Cancer
- Parathyroid Tumor Surgery
- Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation
- Pharmacological Imaging
- Photon Therapy For Cancer
- Platelet Transfusion
- Prolotherapy Infusions
- Prostate Cancer
- Prostate Cancer Treatment
- Radiopharmaceutical Therapy
- Red Blood Cell Transfusion
- Renal Metastases Treatment
- Seminoma Treatment
- Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography
- Testicular Cancer Treatment
- Thrombocytapheresis
- Transitional Cell Carcinoma Treatment
- Uveitic Glaucoma Treatment
- Watchful Waiting For Cancer
- White Blood Cell Transfusion
Practice locations
Distance from Change Location Enter your Location
110 Irving St NW
Cancer Institute Rm 2149
Washington, DC, 20010
Insurance
This list represents the major payors accepted by MedStar Health. NOTE: Payor contracts change and not all plans associated with a payor may be covered. Payors may offer multiple plans. If you have a question related to your insurance, please contact your insurance plan directly. Contact information is located on your health insurance ID card. *Denotes limited participation. Specific providers and practices may NOT be participating. Please contact your insurance plan directly.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Aetna
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield of Maryland
- Cigna Health Care
- Kaiser Permanente*
- MedStar Select (Administered by CareFirst)
- United HealthCare
- Aetna
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield of Maryland
- Healthspring
- Humana
- Medicare & Railroad Medicare
- United HealthCare
- Aetna Better Health of Maryland *
- Medical Assistance/Medicaid
- MedStar Family Choice MD
- Priority Partners *
- United HealthCare Community Health Plan MD
- Wellpoint MD
- AmeriHealth Caritas
- Health Services For Children With Special Needs (HSCSN)
- Medical Assistance/Medicaid
- MedStar Family Choice DC
- Johns Hopkins Employer Health Programs *
- Johns Hopkins US Family Health Plan *
- MultiPlan
- Private Healthcare Systems
- Tricare/Humana Military
- VA Community Care Network (VACCN)
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Medical Genetics & Genomics, Clinical Genetics and Genomics
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology
Residency: Georgetown University Hospital (2015)
Residency: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (2012)
Graduate: Ramathibodi Hospital Faculty of Medicine (2003)
Awards
- Honors, Doctor of Medicine, Mahidol University (2003)
Hospital affiliations
News and publications
- Dissecting the Treatment-Naïve Ecosystem of Human Melanoma Brain Metastasis, Cell, July 7, 2022
- Multicenter, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Seviprotimut-L Polyvalent Melanoma Vaccine in Patients with Opst-Resection Melanoma at High Risk of Recurrence, The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, October 2021
- PET/CT Scan and Biopsy-Driven Approach for Safe Anti-PD-1 Therapy Discontinuation in Patients with Advanced Melanoma, The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, October 9, 2021
- Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Associated with Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy: Endomyocardial Biopsy Provides Pathological Insights to Dual Diseases. Journal of the American College of Cardiology: CardioOncology, June 1, 2021
- Chronic Immune-Related Adverse Events Following Adjuvant Anti-PD1 Therapy for High-Risk Resected Melanoma, The Journal of the American Medical Association Oncology, May 1, 2021
- A Multicenter Analysis of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as Adjuvant Therapy Following Treatment of Isolated Brain Metastasis, Oncologist, November 23, 2020
- Exceptional Response and Multisystem Autoimmune-Like Toxicities Associated with the Same T-Cell Clone in a Patient with Uveal Melanoma Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, March 4, 2019
- Clinical Characterization of Colitis Arising from Anti-PD-1 Base Therapy, Oncoimmunology, October 31, 2018
- High Response Rate to PD-1 Blockade in Desmoplastic Melanomas, Nature, January 18, 2018
- Thrombocytopenia in Patients with Melanoma Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy, The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, February 21, 2017
- The Efficacy of Anti-PD-1 Agents in Acral and Mucosal Melanoma, Cancer, November 15, 2016
- Safety And Efficacy of Anti-PD-1 in Patients with Baseline Cardiac, Renal, or Hepatic Dysfunction, The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, October 1, 2016
- Circulating Biomarkers to Monitor Cancer Progression and Treatment, Computational and Structural Biotechnology, June 1, 2016
- Phase II Trial of Imatinib in AIDS-Associated Kaposi’s Sarcoma: AIDS Malignancy Consortium Protocol, Journal of Clinical Oncology, February 10, 2014
- Novel Somatic KIT Exon 8 Mutation with Dramatic Response to Imatinib in a Patient with Mucosal Melanoma: a Case Report, Melanoma Research, 2014
- Multiple Muscle Cell Alterations in a Case of Encephalomyopathy, Ultrastructural Pathology, February 2014
- Discordance Between Cobas BRAFV600 Testing and VE1 Immunohistochemistry in a Melanoma Patient with Bone Marrow Metastases, American Journal of Dermatopathology, September 2016
- Cardiofaciocutaneous and LEOPARD Syndromes, American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C Seminars in Medical Genetics, May 15, 2011