Plastic surgeon Mouchammed Agko, M.D., understands that many cancer survivors want to continue their lives after treatment without physical reminders of the disease. His goal is to help them achieve that — as well as additional aesthetic improvements if it meets a patient’s needs. City of Hope was the final stop during his residency rotations, and the institution’s compassionate care and innovative research left an enduring impression that drew him back as a faculty member in 2022.
Dr. Agko has received extensive, international training in aesthetic procedures, reconstructive microsurgery and surgery for lymphedema — a type of swelling that can result from cancer and its treatment. He performs a variety of breast reconstruction surgeries with implants and flaps, lymphedema and lipedema surgery, in addition to complex reconstruction surgeries of the head and neck, torso and core, and arms and legs. During a residency in general surgery at the University of Toledo in Ohio, he was recognized for his communication, access, respect and excellence in patient care with an iCare Shining Star award. Prior to joining City of Hope, Dr. Agko was a clinical assistant professor at Augusta University in Georgia.
A physician-scientist who has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed studies, Dr. Agko focuses his investigations on advancing his field. A 2018 publication he led addressing lymphedema with a hybrid surgical technique prompted commentary in the American Cancer Society’s flagship CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.