Marko Velimirovic MD MMSc

50 Studies Every Hospitalist Should Know is really the work of its contributors. We asked hospitalists, cardiologists, ID specialists, intensivists, and more to do something specific: not just summarize a trial, but lay out the details clinicians wish they had at hand - who was studied, what the effect sizes actually were, what the study couldn't answer, and what it means for the patient in front of you. They delivered. This book is their expertise. Grateful to @kathymaytran @Pr1yankJa1n @Michael_Hochman @tony_breu @CianPMcCarthy @criticalecho @DrToTheRescue @jasonwasfy @jillian_molli @marko_velimir @mobolacampbell @MedPOCUS @WilliamJTateMD and all of our contributing authors. @OUPAcademic amazon.com/Studies-Every-…

Physical copy of 50 Studies Every Hospitalist Should Know arrived After years of transatlantic editing with @kathymaytran and Jeff - starting from when we met at @MGHMedicine - the paperback is a different feeling Now available from @OUPAcademic: amazon.com/Studies-Every-… Grateful to @tony_breu for writing the foreword

First-line CDK4/6 inhibitor use did not improve overall survival vs second-line use in advanced hormone receptor–positive, ERBB2-negative #BreastCancer and increased grade ≥3 adverse events. ja.ma/4c0QXut

The best part of ⁦@SABCSSanAntonio⁩ meeting is catching up with former fellows from ⁦@ClevelandClinic⁩ ⁩ now thriving at ⁦@OhioState⁩ ⁦@fredhutch⁩ ⁦@DFCI_BreastOnc⁩ ⁦⁦@StanfordMed⁩ ⁦@ClevelandClinic⁩ !! ⁦@OncoAlert⁩ #SABCS25

At the The Week Health Summit in New Delhi with ⁦@gt_budd⁩ discussing ⁦@ClevelandClinic⁩ #breastcancer vaccine and #cancerresearch !

Sleep tight, scholars

🤯 New in @Nature from @MDAndersonNews colleagues @adam_grippin @StevenLin_MDPhD SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumors to immune checkpoint blockade nature.com/articles/s4158…

Agree with @ErikaHamilton9. Great to see trop2 (and other) ADCs replace chemorx in metastatic breast cancer (& other cancers). Moving forward need to refine biomarkers, understand resistance, improve toxicity profile, and move to earlier lines to prevent disease recurrence. #bcsm

Lobular breast cancer requires specialized care ⁦@ClevelandClinic⁩ Comprehensive Lobular Breast Cancer Program brings together experts dedicated to advancing care, treatment, and research for these patients. #CleClinicCancer #Lobular #BreastCancer my.clevelandclinic.org/services/lobul…

🧬 Ever wondered what “VAF = 42%” means in your NGS report? Let’s decode it in simple terms 👇 When we sequence DNA, we get thousands of short fragments called reads. Some reads are 🧩 normal, others carry a 🧬 mutation. 👉 Variant Allele Frequency (VAF) tells us what fraction of all those reads carry the mutation. 📊 Example: Out of 100 reads, if 42 show the mutation → VAF = 42% Think of it like a mini election inside your DNA - 42% votes for the mutant candidate 🗳️ 💡 How to interpret it: 🔹 ~50% → One of two alleles mutated → Heterozygous germline variant 🔹 ~100% → Both alleles mutated → Homozygous germline variant 🔹 5–30% → Found only in a subset of tumor cells → Somatic or subclonal mutation 🔹 >90% → Often indicates Loss of Heterozygosity (LOH) ⚠️ But remember: 🚫 VAF ≠ tumor purity 🚫 High VAF ≠ “more dangerous” 🚫 Low VAF ≠ “insignificant” VAF only shows how frequent a mutation appears in the reads - not whether it’s harmful or benign. 🧠 Pro tip: Always interpret VAF along with: 🔸 Tumor purity 🔸 Copy-number changes 🔸 Zygosity 🔸 Subclonal structure ✨ In short: VAF is your mutation’s vote share in the sequencing data 🗳️ It’s a clue to where the mutation comes from - not how bad it is. 🔖 Save this for your next NGS report review! #OncoTwitter #CancerGenomics #NGS #MedTwitter #oncology #cancer #PrecisionOncology @OncoAlert @ASCO @myESMO @ESMO_Open @NCICancer

Clinical researcher clearing out all queries

A 400-mg ribociclib starting dose did not match the efficacy of 600 mg in HR+/ERBB2− advanced breast cancer, but had similar progression-free survival and fewer adverse events. ja.ma/481j8HB

Four-year NATALEE trial results show ribociclib plus NSAI maintains invasive disease-free survival benefit over NSAI alone in hormone receptor–positive/ERBB2-negative early breast cancer. ja.ma/3KGrRoM

💡 Cancer cells don’t just mutate—they reorganize their DNA in 3D space. Our new study shows how the genome’s folding pattern shifts as tumors progress, cell by cell 🧩🧬. It’s the first 3D genome atlas of cancer progression. Thread 👇

👏👏👏👏The James Physician Recognition Program recognized the following physicians in our Division for their outstanding contributions to patient care during Q4 FY25. Their performance exemplifies our commitment to excellence! @fuatbcr @nerealiamd @LoganRoofMD

A Moving Target in the Era of Antibody-Drug Conjugates - @jamecancerdoc @marko_velimir oncodaily.com/insight/antibo… #Cancer #OncoDaily #Medicine #Oncology #MedEd #MedX #MedNews @CancerWorldmag

@PTarantinoMD @jamecancerdoc @JCOOP_ASCO Thank you @PTarantinoMD ! 😊

Wonderful editorial by @marko_velimir & @jamecancerdoc accompanying our @JCOOP_ASCO review on the evolution of HER2 testing in oncology. Recommend reading to anyone interested in a recap of the epic journey of HER2 as a biomarker over the past 30 years. ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/OP…

Every cancer patient deserves a complete diagnosis.

What a thought provoking and stimulating ASCO for the breast cancer community! Still processing it all and looking forward hearing what others think of SERENA-6, DB-09, ASCENT-04 and beyond. #ASCO25 #CleClinicCancer