Prof. Mert Erkan
10
reviews
After the surgery, he and his team made my postoperative period as easy as possible — even though I was going through a complex process. Thanks to him and his team.
From our very first meeting, his calmness, attentiveness, and clear explanation of everything helped me a lot.
It was also important to me that, at the same time, he monitored the liver lesion that we had been observing together for about a year.
His conscience, humanity and this incredible saving power, I am sure, will never run dry and will continue to work miracles.
Mert hoca, you are one of the most remarkable people I have ever met.
I trusted him completely and went into the operating room calmly. Thanks to his experience, his mastery of his craft and the professional team, the surgery went very successfully.
The recovery process went well.
Mert hoca adjusted my medication doses daily. Then I underwent surgery.
And after the surgery, day and night, he treated me sincerely, warmly, like a family member — letting me know that we would get through this together.
The process was very stressful for us, but thanks to the attention and trust we felt at Acıbadem Ataşehir, we got through it more easily.
Professor Mert Erkan and his team were very attentive from start to finish.
Mert bey told us that, alongside surgery, an alternative treatment plan was possible, and left the decision to us.
The surgery went successfully, and now my wife is in a much calmer condition.
His attention after the surgery made me very happy.
It is good that our paths crossed. Thanks to him, I regained my health at Acıbadem.
Mom recovered very quickly and without pain.
The hoca's knowledge, detailed explanation, communication, the trust he inspired in us, and the rapid postoperative recovery made us say: "It is good that we chose him."
He also explained to me everything I wanted to know about the operation and the postoperative period — clearly and in an accessible way.
Mert Erkan — is a Turkish professor of surgery specializing in hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery (liver, pancreas and biliary tract). He sees patients and operates at Acıbadem Ataşehir Hospital in Istanbul.
His clinical and academic work focuses on complex cases: pancreatic cancer, liver tumors, gallbladder and bile duct cancer. It is precisely in this area — one of the most technically demanding in surgery — that he has earned international recognition.
He has completed his entire professional path at leading European centers: he defended his doctoral thesis at Heidelberg University with the highest distinction, worked at the Technical University of Munich clinic where he became an associate professor, and then headed the surgery department at Koç University in Istanbul as a professor. Since 2021, he has been with the Acıbadem group.
In January 2024, he was included in the list of “World’s Most Influential Scientists,” published annually by Stanford University and Elsevier. This is an international selection of researchers whose work ranks at the top by citations. In open databases there are more than 150 scientific publications, including those addressing the most subtle aspects of pancreatic cancer biology.
According to patient reviews, he is entrusted with the most serious operations: pancreatic resection (Whipple procedure), treatment of gallbladder tumors, removal of liver tumors, adrenal gland surgery, as well as robotic laparoscopic gallbladder surgery. Patients and their families note his calmness and clear communication before and after surgery, attention to detail, and the high professionalism of the team.
For a patient with a complex diagnosis involving the pancreas, liver or biliary tract, this is one of the well-justified choices in Istanbul: a professor surgeon with a German school, international recognition and a strong scientific background.
Achievements and Awards
About Dr. Mert Erkan
General surgery; subspecialty — hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery (liver, pancreas, biliary tract). Main areas: pancreatic cancer, liver tumors, gallbladder and bile duct cancer, adrenal gland tumors, colon cancer. Performs robotic gallbladder surgery.
- 1989–1995 — medical degree, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine.
- 1995–2000 — residency in general surgery, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine.
- 2001 — obtained the specialist certificate in general surgery (thesis topic — retrospective evaluation of patients treated for iatrogenic bile duct injuries).
- 2001–2003 — voluntary position as senior assistant in the department of liver, pancreas and biliary tract surgery, Istanbul University.
- 2003–2007 — work at Heidelberg University, Department of Visceral Surgery; PhD in molecular biology at the European Pancreatic Research Center, topic — the influence of the tumor microenvironment on the behavior of pancreatic cancer; defended with the highest grade summa cum laude.
- 2010 — subspecialty in digestive system surgery, Technical University of Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar.
- 2007–2014 — Technical University of Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar (Munich, Germany);
- since 2010 — head of department (Oberarzt); since 2011 — associate professor.
- 2014–2021 — Koç University Faculty of Medicine (Istanbul); since 2017 — professor of general surgery.
- 2017–2021 — Translational Medicine Research Center and Health Sciences Institute, Koç University (academic work).
- 2021 — present — professor at Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University; HPB surgeon (liver, pancreas, biliary tract), Acıbadem Ataşehir Hospital.
- 2021 — present — Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University (scientific consulting).
- According to ResearchGate — 165 publications.
- Leadership of major TÜBİTAK 1003 projects (2015–2021): a project on circulating cancer stem cells in pancreatic cancer (2,712,532 TL) and a project on the synthesis of a prodrug and preclinical research in pancreatic cancer (as research assistant, 2,480,400 TL).
- “Best Habilitation Thesis 2011” award from the German Surgical Society.
- Grant of €300,000 from the Else-Kröner-Fresenius Foundation (2011) for research into the mechanisms of interaction between cannabinoids and the stroma of pancreatic tumors.
- Grant of €509,250 from the BMBF (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) — research on specific tumor stroma activation (2008).
- Main areas of research: pancreatic cancer, tumor microenvironment, cancer stem cells, stromal (stellate) cells, bioengineered tumor models.
- Publications in Nature Medicine, Gut, Annals of Surgery, Gastroenterology, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, Oncogene, Nature Methods and other high-ranking journals.
- International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA) — since 2001; Research Committee (since 2014), Program Committee (2015–2019).
- European Digestive Surgery Association (EDS) — since 2003.
- European Pancreatic Club (EPC) — since 2003.
- German Pancreatic Club (DPC) — since 2003.
- International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) — since 2003.
- Turkish Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery Association — since 1998; member of the board of directors 2015–2017.
- German Society of General and Visceral Surgery (DGAV) — 2007–2014.
- Co-founder of the Committee on the Terminology of Pancreatic Diseases (2021).
Acıbadem Ataşehir is one of the flagship clinics of the Acıbadem Healthcare Group. For a patient diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, liver tumors or biliary tract tumors, this hospital is important for several reasons. First, it has the academic team of Acıbadem University: surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology and diagnostic imaging operate together, which is critical for tumors where the treatment plan often involves a sequence of chemotherapy, surgery and postoperative therapy. Second, the clinic is equipped for complex operations: hybrid operating rooms, intraoperative imaging, robotic surgery. This is important for the precise removal of tumors located near major vessels and bile ducts. Third, the Pancreatic Cancer Research Center has been operating at Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University since 2021 — a research center in which Mert Erkan participates as a scientific consultant. This means that clinical treatment is based on its own research base, and not only on external protocols. For international patients, the clinic provides full support: remote consultation before arrival, analysis of MRI and CT scans, an interpreter, a coordinator, and postoperative follow-up.
