Transplant & HPB Fellow @ClevelandClinic Gen Surg @MedStarHealth | MPH @GWpublichealth #PrecisionMed #SurgEd #DogDad. opinions=my own
Cleveland, OH
Joined January 2015
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Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
This is our first of many opportunities to offer patients a surgical option when conventional resection is not possible.
I am deeply grateful to the entire multidisciplinary team whose expertise, collaboration and dedication made this possible.
We are the first hospital in Ohio to remove an abdominal tumor using a highly specialized surgery that involves removing and reimplanting a patient's own intestine.
Read more: cle.clinic/3UqXEzq
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
Our three transplant fellows graduated yesterday: @WKellyWuMD, @DylanIsaacsonMD and @SamiShoucair.
They were so good we couldn’t let them leave — so all three are staying on as staff. The best of the best. Now we get to call them partners. 🤝
Interesting shift recently how often ctDNA comes up in multidisciplinary discussions. We’re still early in understanding how best to use it but the fact that it’s part of the conversation says a lot about where we are heading.
Have you started incorporating ctDNA into your MDTB?
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
Our current fellow/ future colleague @DylanIsaacsonMD presenting our experience with robotic kidney transplantation in recipients with atherosclerosis! @CleClinicUro #ATC26
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
🔥now fully published🔥
Clinical practice and implications of biomarker testing in biliary tract cancer: An observational study
@JHEP_Reports
doi.org/10.1016/j.jhepr.2025…
👉Our findings reinforce the value of targeted treatments and underscore the predictive and prognostic significance of selected GA in BTC
@myESMO @ASCO @EASLedu @ILCAnews
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
The new BEACON-HCC treatment recommendations, presented by @docamitgs at @HCCLIVEConf today are outstanding 👏.
Really nicely incorporates best available evidence in 2026 re: locoregional treatments, systemic therapies & tumor biology. @OncoAlert
Wrapping up an incredible #ASTSWinter Symposium. Great spending time with colleagues @ClevelandClinic , friends and our outstanding fellows cohort @ASTSChimera ! Grateful for the conversations, collaboration, and community. #Education #surgery #MedTwitter @me4_so
Second place at #transplant trivia❓with the team- medals 🏅 and all. Not too shabby! 💪🏽 🥈 #ASTSWinter Symposium #Team #EducationMatters #Trivia
Excellent talk by @JHawksworthMD at #ASTSWinter outlining framework for robotic 🤖 LD hepatectomy: low, medium, high-complexity 📉steps with defined time ⏱️ blocks.
Could this help standardize fellow involvement ➡️accelerate skill acquisition in donor surgery? #Robotics @me4_so
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
Surgical myth worth retiring: “Normal bilirubin ≠ no indication for IOC”.
Transaminases can rise before bilirubin if early choledocho or partial cbd obstruction. #gallbladder #IOC #SoMe4Surgery @SAGES_Updates @EzraTeitelbaum @EdLinEmory @EricKnauerMD @MBosleyMD @rbarbosa91
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
Another great day of #ASTSWinter in the books 🎉 from impactful sessions to meaningful connections, it’s been a day to remember. Keep sharing your favorite moments and tagging us, we love seeing it all!
A timely reminder on #Leadership with @Majeldoyle at the #ASTS Winter Symposium: strong but kind, bold but humble, confident without arrogance. The balance matters. #surgery #LeadershipDevelopment
Great discussions at the @ASTSChimera Winter Symposium. Sharing our work @ClevelandClinic on PRECISE-Tx implementing a prospective framework for serial #ctDNA 🧬 surveillance 📉 and disease-specific #mutation profiling in #transplant #oncology. Excited for what’s ahead. @me4_so
Presenting together with @WKellyWuMD at the #ASTS Winter Symposium. Check out our work from @ClevelandClinic on recipient splenectomy in #LDLT and its impact on survival and long-term outcomes. Thank you @APitaMD for mentorship and guidance!
@asts @me4_so
Outstanding CRLM talk by @KojiHashimotoMD @ASTSChimera Winter Symposium. Pre-LT detectable disease (CEA or PET-MTV) predicts recurrence, underscoring the importance of aggressive #liver-directed therapy and achieving undetectable disease before #transplant.
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
Yttrium-90 radioembolization is associated with a lower risk of liver transplant waitlist dropout than TACE in HCC
@JHepatology
doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2026.…
👉5677 LT candidates
👉more complete necrosis, lower likelihood of multiple LRTs & lower risk of waitlist dropout
@myESMO @EASLedu @ASCO @ILCAnews
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
First in the world SP Robotic Kidney Pancreas tx:
- Both grafts placed on the left side
- K anast time: 33 min
- P anast time: 45 min
- Op time: 5h33m
- LOS: 4 days
@CleClinicUro @amjtransplant @ASTSChimera @AmerUrological @AmCollSurgeons @IHPBA @EAHPBA @AHPBA #Robotics
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
2 classic quotes on Medical Education: by Dr. William Osler (often described as the Father of Modern Medicine):
“Medicine is learned by the bedside, and not in the classroom.”
“He who studies medicine without books sails an uncharted sea, but he who studies medicine without patients does not go to sea at all".
🚩Build your knowledge by reading.
But it is through the care of our patients that the learning becomes transformative.
🖼️ - Sir William Osler. Oil painting by Harry Herman Salomon
#MedEd #MedTwitter
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
🔥 FDG PET/CT: The Scan That Lies More Often Than You Think
A quick, practical guide to avoid the most common PET pitfalls 👇
🟡 False Positives: When High Uptake ISN’T Cancer
🧠 Common physiologic hotspots:
• 💪 Symmetrical muscle uptake (neck/larynx)
• 😬 Waldeyer’s ring / tonsils
• 🧂 Salivary glands
• ❄️ Brown fat (especially in winters)
🔥 Inflammation mimicking malignancy:
• 🩹 Post-surgery / post-RT sites
• 🧩 Inflamed nodes
• 🦠 Active infections
🟠 Benign but FDG-avid:
• 👂 Warthin’s tumor
• 🦋 Thyroid adenoma
🔵 False Negatives: When Cancer DOESN’T Light Up
🫧 Low-FDG tumors:
• Low-grade NETs
• Adenoid cystic carcinoma
• Some inherently non-glycolytic histologies
🟤 Scanner limitations:
• 🔬 Tiny lesions <8 mm
• ⚫ Necrotic bulky tumors (dark center can hide disease)
🌟 Shine-through effect:
• Brain, bladder, tonsils → obscure nearby lesions
📌 Rules of Thumb for Accurate Interpretation
🔶 Morphology matters:
• Tumor → tends to be round
• Inflammation → tends to track along fascia (linear/patchy)
🔷 Consistency is EVERYTHING in follow-ups:
• Same scanner
• Same protocol
• Same uptake time (±10 min max)
🧩 Always correlate PET with CT/MRI
A “hot spot” = meaningless unless anatomy agrees.
🧠 Takeaway:
PET/CT is powerful, but it can trick even experienced clinicians.
Pattern recognition + anatomic correlation > SUV obsession.
💬 What’s the most misleading PET scan you’ve seen in your practice?
🔖 Save this post for your next tumor board.
#OncoTwitter #MedTwitter #Radiology #NucMed #CancerCare @OncoAlert @myesmo @ESMO_Open @ASCO
Sami Shoucair, MD MPH MS retweeted
(1/5) Proud of our team at @CleClinicUro for a major milestone: 100+ Robotic Kidney Transplants in 2025 alone (105 and counting!) 🚀
This reflects the unmatched support of our nursing staff and leadership. Truly a team effort. @ASTSChimera @AmCollSurgeons @amjtransplant
