Fudan University Cancer Hospital

Fudan University Cancer Hospital does not have a separate "Department of Oncology Rehabilitation". Oncology rehabilitation functions are primarily handled by the Department of Comprehensive Treatment (the first palliative care and hospice specialty in a tertiary hospital in China). Leveraging the hospital's position as a national center for clinical research on malignant tumors, an integrated rehabilitation system covering the entire cycle of prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation has been established. The department uses symptom management and palliative support as its clinical foundation, psychosocial support prescriptions as its distinctive feature, and the development of expert consensus on integrated oncology rehabilitation as its academic guide. It is positioned as a source of national integrated oncology rehabilitation system construction and a center for exporting "Shanghai experience". The hospital's 5-year overall survival rate for hospitalized patients with malignant tumors reached 72.0% from 2015 to 2019, ranking among the leading levels in the country.

Historical Origins and Spiritual Inheritance:

Established in March 2006, the Department of Comprehensive Treatment draws upon the experience of palliative care and rehabilitation at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States. It is the first palliative support and hospice care specialty in China and the only one in Shanghai's top-tier tertiary hospitals. Professor Cheng Wenwu, the department leader, went to MD Anderson in 2004 to specialize in palliative and rehabilitation medicine for cancer. After returning to China, he founded the department, making it the first top-tier tertiary hospital in the country to establish this specialty at that time. The department practices a "whole-person-whole-family-whole-process" service model, and its related work and promotion are among the best in the country. The hospital has a strong patient organization in the field of tumor rehabilitation: in 2003, Professor Shen Zhenzhou founded the first breast cancer patient rehabilitation salon in the country, "Yan Kang Salon", which has now grown to 90,000 members.

Core business operational efficiency:

The Department of General Treatment has 25 beds, 9 doctors, 16 nurses, and 1 medical social worker. It serves an average of over 5,000 outpatients and over 800 inpatients annually, and provides end-of-life care services to over 50 terminally ill patients. Since 2013, the hospital has operated the "Help Me" psychological counseling hotline, serving thousands of patients to date. The project won the 2024 Huaxia Medical Science and Technology Award for Medical Popularization. The hospital's colorectal cancer comprehensive diagnosis and treatment team provides outpatient services in genetic counseling, ostomy care, and rehabilitation salons for patients with long-term recovery, offering comprehensive, continuous, and standardized management for patients with ostomies after colorectal cancer surgery.

Discipline Positioning and Benchmarking:

It is the National Clinical Research Center for Malignant Tumors and the National Key Clinical Specialty Affiliated Unit. In August 2024, led by Gu Wenying, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the hospital, experts from Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong and other provinces and cities formed the first national "Expert Consensus on Integrated Tumor Rehabilitation Management (2024)" (Draft for Solicitation of Opinions), and at the same time, 12 integrated rehabilitation practice projects for single tumor diseases were reviewed and approved. The hospital, in collaboration with Shanghai Trust, launched the "Empowering Good Doctors" program to empower cancer rehabilitation promoters. This program brought together over 150 experts to offer 160 online courses, with over 750 participants and 66 completing offline practical training. The goal is to establish a tiered, integrated cancer rehabilitation management system encompassing tertiary cancer hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, community health service centers, communities, and families. Based on a holistic perspective on cancer patient rehabilitation, Gu Wenying proposed the concept of "cancer rehabilitation promoters," constructing a comprehensive rehabilitation talent training system covering the entire chain of prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

The Department of Medical Oncology at Fudan University Cancer Hospital is one of the earliest specialized departments in China to implement medical oncology treatment. In 1965, it was approved by the Ministry of Health as a Southern Base for Antitumor Drugs, and in 1983, it became one of the first Ministry of Health drug clinical bases in China. The department is characterized by its curative chemotherapy for urogenital cell tumors, its pioneering global randomized controlled precision treatment for multiple primary and unexplained primary tumors (CUP), and its cutting-edge breakthrough in the "ABC" regimen for brain metastases of triple-negative breast cancer. It is positioned as a core source of China's medical oncology field, moving from the era of chemotherapy to the era of precision immunotherapy. The department sees over 500,000 outpatients and admits over 50,000 inpatients annually, making it one of the largest oncology treatment centers in the country.

Historical Origins and Spiritual Inheritance:

The Department of Oncology at the hospital originated from the Chemotherapy Working Group established in 1958, with Professor Sun Zengyi, the founder of oncology in China, establishing the diagnostic and treatment system. It was formally established as a department in 1965 and approved as a Southern Base for Anti-tumor Drugs. In 1983, it became one of the first drug clinical bases designated by the Ministry of Health in China. Over more than half a century, the department has evolved from a single chemotherapy model to a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment model encompassing chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, cell therapy, and endocrine therapy.

Core business operational efficiency:

The department has 269 inpatient beds and 350 outpatient chemotherapy beds, comprising eight subspecialties: breast and urinary oncology, digestive oncology, thoracic oncology, head and neck oncology, lymphoma, sarcoma/malignant melanoma/tumors of unknown primary origin, cell and immunotherapy, and a Phase I clinical trial ward. It has nearly 200 ongoing Phase I new drug clinical trials and has undertaken nearly 100 projects, including National Key Research and Development Programs, the Ministry of Science and Technology's 13th Five-Year Plan Major Projects, and National Natural Science Foundation of China projects, with a total research funding of over 40 million yuan. Currently, it has one National Outstanding Youth Science Fund recipient and five chairpersons/chairpersons-elect of major national academic organizations.

Discipline Positioning and Benchmarking:

It is the affiliated unit of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association's Committee on Tumor Heterogeneity and Personalized Treatment, and the Committee on Multiple Primary and Unknown Primary Tumors. Professor Hu Xichun serves as the Director of the Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Primary and Unknown Primary Tumors, and leads the world's first prospective randomized controlled clinical study of CUP (Fudan CUP-001). Professor Wang Hongxia serves as the Director of the Department of Internal Medicine and the Director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Center, a recipient of the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund, and a 2024 National March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter.

A national key clinical specialty, a key discipline of the Ministry of Education (oncology and pathology), a unit of the National Project for Improving the Diagnosis and Treatment Capacity of Difficult and Complex Diseases, and the main construction unit of the National Cancer Medical Center; the oncology specialty has been ranked first in the country for many years in the Fudan University Specialty Reputation List; a benchmark for multidisciplinary comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors in China, and a national referral center for difficult recurrent metastatic tumors and tumors of unknown primary origin; benchmarked against MD Anderson Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the United States.

Founded on March 1, 1931, Fudan University Cancer Hospital, formerly known as the Sino-Belgian Radium Tablet Treatment Center, is one of the earliest established tertiary-level Class A cancer hospitals in my country, integrating medical treatment, teaching, research, and prevention. It is also a founder of radiotherapy and pathology in my country, and a pioneer in the fields of medical oncology and surgical oncology. Adhering to the spirit of "practicing medicine with high moral character and sharing medical ethics," the hospital started with a single 0.978-gram radium tablet and has developed into the world's third and China's only clinical medical research and development institution simultaneously possessing photon, proton, and heavy ion technologies. The hospital has two campuses, Xuhui Campus and Pudong Campus, and is highly integrated and developing together with Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Hospital. It has been approved to build Fujian Hospital, a national regional cancer medical center, and is cooperating with Xiamen Municipal Government to jointly build Xiamen Hospital, striving to create a new pattern of one hospital with multiple campuses and homogeneous development.

Core business operational efficiency:

By the end of 2025, the Xuhui and Pudong campuses will have 2,177 beds, 50 clinical and medical technology departments of various levels, and 3,120 employees. In 2025, the hospital is projected to have 2.5 million outpatient visits, 170,000 inpatient admissions, 80,000 surgeries, and 420,000 radiotherapy treatments. The overall 5-year survival rate for malignant tumor patients in the hospital is as high as 72%, leading the country and comparable to the level of developed countries. The hospital possesses 22 pieces of advanced equipment, including the da Vinci surgical robot, MRI accelerator, TOMO, PET-CT, PET-MR, and a 5.0T MRI, ensuring the development of advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies.

Discipline Positioning and Core Advantages:

The hospital currently has 2 key disciplines designated by the Ministry of Education (Oncology and Pathology), 7 national key clinical specialties, and 3 key clinical disciplines designated by the Ministry of Health (Breast Cancer, Radiation Therapy, and Pathology). It also houses 3 key laboratories in Shanghai (Breast Tumor, Pancreatic Tumor, and Radiation-Induced Tumor) and is the affiliated unit of the Shanghai Pathology Quality Control Center and the Radiation Therapy Quality Control Center. In the Fudan University's ranking of Chinese hospital specialty reputations, the Pathology Department has consistently ranked first in the country for many years, and the Oncology Department has ranked second. The core advantages can be summarized as a four-dimensional integration of "profound historical foundation × global leadership in particle radiotherapy × multidisciplinary treatment system × authoritative pathology diagnosis": As the earliest oncology hospital in China to implement a physical multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment model, it took the lead in breaking the departmental division pattern in 2008 and changed to eight specialized diagnosis areas based on tumor location; the pathology department, as the "supreme court" of pathology diagnosis in China, provides authoritative support for the hospital's precision diagnosis and treatment; proton and heavy ion radiotherapy has gone from "scarce resource" to "accessible service", treating more than 7,800 patients with an average annual growth rate of 17.5%.

A national key clinical specialty and a leading pancreatic tumor center in Asia, it is aligned with the International Pancreatic Association (IAP) and serves as a comprehensive treatment center for complex and severe cases of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and locally advanced pancreatic tumors in China.

Historical Origins and Spiritual Inheritance:

In 2010, under the guidance of Professor Ni Quanxing, Professor Yu Xianjun founded the Department of Pancreatic Surgery at Fudan University Cancer Hospital, starting with just 3 doctors and 7 beds. In 2012, the Shanghai Pancreatic Tumor Research Institute and the Fudan University Pancreatic Tumor Research Institute were established. In 2025, the team was approved as the Shanghai Key Laboratory for Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Tumors. Adhering to the principle of "clinical practice as the foundation and scientific research as the soul," the team's innovative development concept is "minimally invasive surgical procedures, systematic clinical research, comprehensive patient management, and precision tumor treatment."

Core business operational efficiency:

The department currently receives over 64,000 outpatients annually and performs over 3,000 pancreatic tumor resection surgeries, ranking first in Shanghai for 12 consecutive years and accounting for approximately one-third of all pancreatic tumor surgeries in Shanghai. Laparoscopic and robotic minimally invasive pancreatic surgeries account for nearly 70% of these surgeries. The department also performs over 20,000 comprehensive pancreatic tumor treatments annually, including ultrasound endoscopy, intraoperative radiotherapy, interventional procedures, radiofrequency ablation, chemotherapy, and intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy. Hospital stays have been reduced by 50%, perioperative mortality is below 0.3%, and the pancreatic fistula rate has decreased from 20.3% to 9%. The 3-year survival rate for patients with pancreatic malignant tumors after surgery reached 56.8%, and the 5-year survival rate has increased from 5% more than ten years ago to more than 12%. The 5-year survival rate for early pancreatic cancer (smaller than 2 cm and without lymph node metastasis) exceeds 50%, surpassing the international advanced level.

Discipline Positioning and Benchmarking:

It is a key discipline of oncology under the Ministry of Education's 985 Project, the chairman unit of the Pancreatic Cancer Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, and the location of the Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute, the Fudan University Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute, and the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer. Professor Yu Xianjun serves as the chairman of the Pancreatic Cancer Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the head of the CSPAC China Pancreatic Cancer Multidisciplinary Collaboration Group, a member of the International Association for Pancreatology (IAP), and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). The discipline has been developed into a world-class and domestically leading center for pancreatic cancer medical treatment, education, and research. It is the world's first center to exceed 2,000 pancreatic tumor resection surgeries annually and one of the world's three major pancreatic cancer diagnosis and treatment centers.

The Department of Breast Surgery at Fudan University Cancer Hospital, established in 2000, is a national key clinical specialty and a national key discipline of oncology under the Ministry of Education. It houses the Shanghai Breast Cancer Clinical Medical Center and the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer. The department has made internationally leading academic contributions with its "Fudan Classification" precision diagnosis and treatment system for triple-negative breast cancer, and is making cutting-edge breakthroughs in the four-level classification of luminal breast cancer and AI-driven precision treatment. Its distinctive diagnostic and treatment paradigm is the "Fudan Model" for comprehensive breast cancer management. It is positioned as the largest breast cancer diagnosis and treatment center in Asia and a core output center for Chinese breast cancer diagnosis and treatment standards. In 2023, it completed over 10,000 breast malignant tumor surgeries, ranking first in China.

Historical Origins and Spiritual Inheritance:

The academic foundation of the hospital's Breast Surgery Department can be traced back to 1952, when Professor Li Yueyun, a renowned oncology expert in my country, pioneered breast cancer treatment. Following this, under the continuous efforts of several generations of discipline leaders, including Professors Shen Zhenzhou and Shao Zhimin, the department officially became independent in 2000. Professor Shen Zhenzhou is considered the founder of breast surgery in my country, laying a solid clinical and academic foundation for the discipline's development. Professor Shao Zhimin returned to China in 1995, giving up lucrative opportunities abroad, and became the director of the Breast Surgery Department in 2000, leading the department through a period of rapid development.

Core business operational efficiency:

The department has five wards with over 270 beds, comprising several sub-departments including a diagnostic department, a comprehensive treatment department, a clinical trial department, a rehabilitation department, and a breast cancer research institute. It treats over 50,000 patients annually from across China, achieving a five-year survival rate of over 95% for breast cancer, and has become the largest breast cancer diagnosis and treatment center in Asia. In 2023, it performed over 10,000 surgeries for malignant breast tumors, nearly 2,800 breast-conserving surgeries for breast cancer, and nearly 1,500 breast reconstruction surgeries. Over 50% of breast cancer patients retain their breast shape post-surgery, significantly higher than the 10.8% in 2006.

Discipline Positioning and Benchmarking:

It is a national key clinical specialty, a national key discipline of oncology under the Ministry of Education, the Shanghai Breast Cancer Clinical Medical Center, and the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer. Professor Shao Zhimin serves as the honorary chairman of the Breast Cancer Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the vice chairman of the Oncology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and the president of the 8th Asian Breast Cancer Association. He has served as a member of the expert group at the St. Gallen Breast Cancer Conference for four consecutive terms (one of only three experts from China), participating in the development of global breast cancer guidelines. The "Guidelines and Standards for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association," compiled by the department, is updated every two years and is used in the breast cancer departments of more than 80 large hospitals across the country, benefiting more than 150,000 breast cancer patients.