Dennis Holmes, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dennis R. Holmes, M.D., F.A.C.S. is an internationally renowned breast cancer surgeon, researcher and innovator with offices in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and Glendale, California. Sought out by patients across Southern California and across the U.S., he specializes in minimally-invasive breast surgery, including oncoplastic surgery, hidden-scar nipple-sparing mastectomy, intraoperative radiotherapy, cryoablation (cancer tumor freezing), and lymph node-sparing surgery.
Dr. Holmes is currently serving as Interim Director of the Margie Petersen Breast Center at St. John’s Health Center, and formerly held the positions of Chief Breast Surgeon and Medical Director of the Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health, and Chief Breast Cancer Surgeon, and Breast Cancer Research Committee Co-Chair at the University of Southern California (U.S.C.) Kenneth Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Holmes is a 2003 graduate of the U.S.C. Breast Surgery Fellowship Training Program, one of most innovative and progressive breast surgery training programs in the country. He also possesses an extensive  understanding of the roles of oncology, radiation oncology, plastic surgery, and other critical services in the management of breast cancer. In addition, Dr. Holmes has helped train numerous other breast surgeons across the country as former Breast Surgery Fellowship Program Director at U.S.C., and currently as the Breast Surgery Fellowship Program Director at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence St. John’s Health Center.
Dr. Holmes is a leader in several national surgical societies and is a frequent lecturer at national conferences. As a member of the education committee of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, Dr. Holmes recently led the development of national surgical practice guidelines for the use of preoperative chemotherapy prior to breast cancer surgery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and was also recently selected as Board Chair and President of the TARGIT Collaborative Group, a national research and education organization.
Widely respected by colleagues for his innovative approach to breast cancer care, Dr. Holmes is acclaimed worldwide for his pioneering research in targeted intraoperative radiotherapy. He currently serves as National Co-Chair of the TARGIT U.S. Registry clinical trial, and is also National Principal Investigator of the FROST Trial, a clinical trial evaluating the use of cryoablation (tumor freezing) instead of surgery for the treatment of early stage breast cancer. In addition, he has been a pioneer in the field of minimally-invasive breast surgery, including intraoperative radiotherapy, cryoablation, and lymph node-sparing surgery.
He is a strong advocate for individualized cancer therapy in which care is adapted to the severity of the cancer to avoiding unnecessary side effects. Where many breast surgeons see challenges, Dr. Holmes sees opportunities. However, what most distinguishes Dr. Holmes among breast surgeons is his commitment to providing women with treatment options that suit their physical and emotional needs, while also providing the best possible cancer control.