Vasilena Zheleva, M.D.
“I admire the culture at City of Hope and believe in its mission and vision — in treating the body with the utmost regard for the soul.”
Vasilena Zheleva, M.D., delights in giving her patients emotional support, even in the most challenging circumstances, and “seeing the spark of hope in their eyes.”
In her training, Dr. Zheleva took an active part in basic science research in cancer biology — in the field of new tumor biomarker development and new targeted therapy development for some of the most aggressive forms of human cancer — triple-negative breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. In addition, Dr. Zheleva's clinical research interests include quality improvement and adherence to best practice guidelines in cancer care.
A native of Bulgaria, Dr. Zheleva earned her medical degree at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, New Hampshire. She completed her residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, and spent two years at City of Hope as a complex general surgical oncology fellow.
A winner of multiple honors and awards throughout her academic career, the multilingual (English, Bulgarian and Russian) Zheleva chaired the Cancer Committee at her most recent post in Arizona. She is happy to return to City of Hope's family.
“Medicine practiced at City of Hope,” she says, “manages to combine compassionate and patient-centered care with evidence-based medicine and innovative research.”
2019-present, Complex General Surgical Oncology, American Board of Surgery
2018-2028, Surgery, American Board of Surgery
2009, Doctor of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH
2018, Fellow, Complex General Surgical Oncology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2016, Resident, General Surgery, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA
2022-present, Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Corona, CA
2018-2021, Surgical Oncologist, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Phoenix, AZ
2021, Clinic Employee of the Month, (Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Phoenix)
2017, Travel Award for Presentation at the Society of Surgical Oncology Annual
2015, Second Place Award at the Resident Scientific Forum
2013, First Place Basic Science Award at the Resident Scientific Forum
2013, Commonwealth of Virginia Resident Cancer Paper Competition Winner
- Gupta GK, Collier AL, Lee D, Hoefer RA, Zheleva V, Siewertsz van Reesema LL, Tang-Tan AM, Guye ML, Chang DZ, Winston JS, Samli B, Jansen RJ, Petricoin EF, Goetz MP, Bear HD, Tang A. H. (2020). Perspectives on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Current Treatment Strategies, Unmet Needs, and Potential Targets for Future Therapies. Cancers, 12(9), 2392. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12092392
- Zheleva V, Nelson RA, Dumitra S, Vora NL, Lai LL. (2020). Time to Adjuvant Radiotherapy in Breast Cancer Affects Survival: Implications for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Quality Metrics. Annals of Surgical Oncology, 27(8), 2614–2625. https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-020-08326-8
- Zheleva V, Lai LL. ASO Author Reflections: A Call to Modify Factors Predictive of Noncompliance with Quality Measures in Breast Cancer Treatment. Ann Surg Oncol 27, 2626–2627 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-020-08405-w
- Konstantinidis IT, Raoof M, Zheleva V, Lafaro K, Lau C, Fong Y, Lee B. (2020). Multivisceral robotic liver surgery: feasible and safe. Journal of Robotic Surgery, 14(3), 503–507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11701-019-01017-x
- Zheleva V, Ethun CG, Fong Y. (2018) Patient Selection and Technical Considerations. In: Cardona K., Maithel S. (eds) Primary and Metastatic Liver Tumors. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91977-5_1
- Van Sciver RE, Lee MP, Lee CD, Lafever AC, Svyatova E, Kanda K, Colliver AL, Siewertsz van Reesema LL, Tang-Tan AM, Zheleva V, Bwayi MN, Bian M, Schmidt RL, Matrisian LM, Petersen GM, Tang AH. (2018). A New Strategy to Control and Eradicate "Undruggable" Oncogenic K-RAS-Driven Pancreatic Cancer: Molecular Insights and Core Principles Learned from Developmental and Evolutionary Biology. Cancers, 10(5), 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers10050142
- Zheleva V, Liang Y, Melstrom L. Chapter 29: Rare Fibroblastic and Myofibroblastic Tumors. Section: Soft Tissue Cancer. Complex General Surgical Oncology – Transformative New Education Resource from SSO and Decker. Published online by Decker in December 2017. Access at: https://www.deckerip.com/products/complex-general-surgical-oncology/
- Zheleva V, Liang Y, Schmolze D, Dumitra S, Wong J, Melstrom L. (2017). A Rare Aggressive Primary Hepatic Neoplasm: A Case Report of a Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor of the Liver and Literature Review. Jscimedcentral.com. https://www.jscimedcentral.com/GeneralSurgery/generalsurgery-2-1035.pdf.
- Siewertsz van Reesema LL, Lee MP, Zheleva V, Winston JS, O'Connor CF, Perry RR, Hoefer RA, Tang AH. (2016). RAS pathway biomarkers for breast cancer prognosis. Clinical Laboratory International, 40, 18–23.
- Siewertsz van Reesema L, Zheleva V, Winston JS, Jansen RJ, O'Connor CF, Isbell AJ, Bian M, Qin R, Bassett PT, Hinson VJ, Dorsch KA, Kirby BW, Van Sciver RE, Tang-Tan AM, Harden EA, Chang DZ, Allen CA, Perry RR, Hoefer RA, Tang AH. (2016). SIAH and EGFR, Two RAS Pathway Biomarkers, are Highly Prognostic in Locally Advanced and Metastatic Breast Cancer. EBioMedicine, 11, 183–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.08.014