Medical Education & Board Certifications

§  2007: MD, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.T.H.), Greece

§  2014: Board Certification in Oncology (Specialist/Consultant), Sweden

 

Current Positions

§  2025 – ongoing: Associate Professor in Oncology, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

§  2017 – ongoing: Senior Consultant in Oncology, Lung Oncology Center, Theme Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

§  Nov 2025 – ongoing: Senior Consultant in Oncology, Bank of Cyprus Oncology Center, Nicosia, Cyprus

 

Previous Professional & Research Experience

§  2008 – 2014: Resident Doctor in Oncology, Akademiska University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden

§  2014 – 2015: Specialist in Oncology, Akademiska University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden

§  2015 – 2017: Specialist/Consultant in Oncology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

§  2016 – 2020: PhD Candidate, Karolinska Institutet (Thesis: Biomarkers for CNS metastasis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer); PhD awarded Dec 2020

§  2017 – 2019: Head of the CNS Oncology Section, Karolinska University Hospital

§  2020 – ongoing: Senior Researcher, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet

§  2021 – 2022: Clinical Amanuens for Oncology Student Training, Karolinska Institutet

§  2023 – 2027: SLL Postdoctoral Fellow (Stockholms County Council), 50% paid research time. Project: Clinical and molecular biomarkers for brain metastasized lung cancer (2,000,000 SEK)

 

Key Awards & Honors

§  2023-2027: Postdoctoral position grant from Stockholms County Council (2,000,000 SEK)

§  2022: Pedagogical Prize (100,000 SEK) for contribution to medical student education

§  2022 & 2023: ESMO Research Fellowship Award (for PhD student Dr. Andreas Koulouris)

 

Selected Scientific Publications (38 peer-reviewed journals; selected highlights)

§  Grønberg BH, et al. High-dose vs. standard-dose twice-daily thoracic radiotherapy for limited-stage small-cell lung cancer. Lancet Oncol. 2021;22(3):321-331.

§  Tsakonas G, De Petris L, Ekman S. Management of brain metastasized NSCLC – From local treatment to new systemic therapies. Cancer Treat Rev. 2017;54:122-131.

§  Tsakonas G, et al. An immune gene expression signature distinguishes CNS metastases from primary tumours in NSCLC. Eur J Cancer. 2020;132:24-34.

§  Skribek M, Rounis K, Makrakis D, et al. (Tsakonas G). Outcome of NSCLC patients with brain metastases treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Cancers. 2020;12(6).

§  Zerdes I, Kamali C, et al. (Tsakonas G). A novel clinical brain prognostic index for KRAS-mutated lung cancer and brain metastases (KRAS-BPI). Lung Cancer. 2025;199:108065.

§  Tsakonas G, et al. Prognostic factors affecting survival after whole brain radiotherapy in lung cancer patients with brain metastases. Acta Oncol. 2018;57(2):231-238.

§  Tsakonas G, et al. ALK-Brain Prognostic Index – Preliminary study for ALK-rearranged NSCLC with brain metastases. Cancers. 2020;12(6).

§  Tsakonas G, et al. High density of NRF2 in malignant cells associated with increased CNS metastasis risk in early-stage NSCLC. Cancers. 2021;13(9).

§  Zerdes I, Kamali C, Koulouris A, et al. (Tsakonas G). Validation of ALK-Brain Prognostic Index for ALK-rearranged lung cancer with brain metastases. ESMO Open. 2023;8(6):102069.

§  Tsakonas G, et al. Cerebrospinal fluid as liquid biopsy for molecular characterization of brain metastasis in NSCLC. Lung Cancer. 2023;182:107292.

 

Summary of Most Important Trials as Principal Investigator

§  Achiles: Randomized phase II – atezolizumab after chemoradiotherapy vs. chemoradiotherapy alone in limited-stage SCLC

§  Thora: Randomized phase II – two schedules of hyperfractionated thoracic radiotherapy in limited-stage SCLC

§  MERU: Phase III – rovalpituzumab tesirine as maintenance therapy in extensive-stage SCLC

§  BMS CA209-498: Phase III – nivolumab vs. temozolomide + radiation in unmethylated MGMT glioblastoma

§  BMS CA209-548: Phase III – temozolomide + radiation + nivolumab vs. placebo in methylated MGMT glioblastoma

§  Horizon 01 / BO42777: Phase 1-3 biomarker-driven study in unresectable stage III NSCLC

§  M18-868: Phase III – telisotuzumab vedotin vs. docetaxel in c-Met overexpressing, EGFR wildtype NSCLC

§  MO41552: Phase III – entrectinib vs. crizotinib in ROS1-rearranged NSCLC (with/without CNS metastases)

 

Teaching Experience & PhD Supervision

§  Director/Chair: Brain Metastatic Lung Cancer course (Lipus certified, 2019, 2020); 6th MIDI Lung Preceptorship – Brain Metastases (Stockholm, 2021)

§  Director: Lung cancer educational course for basic researchers (2021, 2022); Multidisciplinary cancer course for term 11 students (2021, 2022), Karolinska Institutet

§  Main Supervisor for PhD students: Dr. Andreas Koulouris (2024–), Dr. Oscar Grundberg (2020–), Dr. Roksana Attaeinejad (2025-)

§  Co-supervisor for PhD students: Dr. Marcus Skribek (defended 2024), Dr. Paulina Kalinowska (2024–), Dr. Sebastian Pettersson (2023–)

§  Clinical Supervisor for resident doctors: Dr. Marcus Skribek, Dr. Manuel Bravo, Dr. Sandra Andersson

§  Total teaching experience: >350 hours

§  Clinical Amanuens: Aug 2021 – Dec 2022