Medical Library | Shanghai Oncology and Innovative Treatment Series
Fudan University Zhongshan Hospital is one of Shanghai's major academic medical centers, with internationally recognized expertise in hepatobiliary surgery, liver cancer, colorectal surgery, transplantation-related care, and multidisciplinary oncology. Its clinical research programs combine complex surgery with perioperative treatment, molecular profiling, translational science, and prospective clinical trials.
This Medical Library review examines two representative teams from the 2025–2026 information provided: the liver oncology team led by Academician Fan Jia and the colorectal surgery team led by Professor Xu Jianmin. It also explains how CMCS can help international patients organize their records and communicate with specialists when evaluating an innovative treatment in Shanghai.
1. Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Oncology: Linking Perioperative Therapy with Conversion Surgery
Lead: Academician Fan Jia, with Zhou Jian and Sun Yunfan as key team members
Core areas: Hepatocellular carcinoma surgery and perioperative treatment, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and spatiotemporal multi-omics of metastatic disease.
Liver cancer care increasingly requires more than a technically successful operation. The clinical team must determine whether a tumor is resectable, how recurrence risk should be reduced after surgery, whether systemic treatment can convert advanced disease into a surgical opportunity, and how tumor biology changes across time and metastatic sites. For patients and families seeking general background, our Liver Cancer Treatment in Shanghai Medical Library guide provides a related overview.
Major 2025–2026 milestones
- High-risk intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: An adjuvant treatment study after surgery was reported in The New England Journal of Medicine in March 2026, focusing on patients with a high risk of recurrence.
- Perioperative therapy for liver cancer: The CARES-009 study, presented at ESMO in October 2025, evaluated camrelizumab combined with apatinib in the perioperative setting.
- Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A Phase III study reported in The Lancet in August 2026 examined surgery after conversion treatment for selected patients with advanced HCC.
- Metastatic biology: Work published in Science in July 2026 investigated the spatiotemporal multi-omics of liver cancer with lung metastases.
According to the supplied materials, the team is notable for having landmark outputs across The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, Science, and Cell. More importantly from a patient perspective, these publications represent different parts of the care pathway: reducing postoperative recurrence, improving perioperative systemic treatment, converting advanced disease toward resection, and understanding how metastatic tumors evolve.
Why conversion surgery matters
Some patients with advanced HCC are initially considered unsuitable for surgery because of tumor burden, vascular involvement, extrahepatic disease, or limited liver reserve. In selected cases, systemic or locoregional treatment may produce sufficient response to make resection technically possible. This is often called conversion therapy or conversion surgery.
Conversion treatment is not a promise that every patient can undergo an operation. It requires repeated imaging, assessment of liver function, evaluation of treatment response, and multidisciplinary discussion involving hepatobiliary surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, interventional specialists, and pathologists. The decision must also consider whether surgery is likely to provide meaningful long-term benefit rather than simply whether the tumor can be removed technically.
Why multi-omics research matters
Spatiotemporal multi-omics aims to study how tumor cells, immune cells, stromal cells, and molecular signals differ across locations and change over time. For patients with liver cancer and lung metastases, this type of research may help explain why a primary tumor and a metastatic lesion can respond differently to the same treatment.
At present, a research finding does not automatically become a routine clinical test or a treatment recommendation. Patients should ask whether a biomarker or molecular test is clinically validated, whether it changes management, and whether the proposed treatment is approved, supported by a clinical trial, or still investigational.
Team profile: A highly integrated liver cancer program that connects complex surgery, perioperative immunotherapy and targeted therapy, conversion surgery, and translational research into tumor evolution.
2. Colorectal Surgery: Prospective Evidence for Robotic Treatment of Rectal Cancer
Lead: Professor Xu Jianmin, with Ye Lechi as a key team member
Core area: Robotic versus laparoscopic surgery for mid- and low-rectal cancer.
For patients with mid- or low-rectal cancer, the surgical approach must balance cancer control with preservation of bowel, urinary, and sexual function. The anatomy of the pelvis can make precise dissection technically demanding, especially when the tumor is low, the pelvis is narrow, or the patient has received preoperative treatment.
According to the provided information, a study published in JAMA in June 2025 was the first to show that robotic-assisted surgery significantly reduced postoperative local recurrence compared with laparoscopic surgery in mid- and low-rectal cancer. The program is described as having completed a Phase III randomized controlled trial.
For patients who want to understand the broader treatment pathway, our related Gastric and Colorectal Cancer Treatment in Shanghai guide explains how surgery, imaging, pathology, systemic therapy, radiation, and multidisciplinary planning may fit together. A separate Gastrointestinal Surgery in Shanghai article provides additional context for complex abdominal and gastrointestinal procedures.
What robotic surgery can and cannot mean
Robotic surgery does not mean that every patient should receive a robotic operation. The potential advantages may include improved visualization, wristed instruments, and greater precision in confined pelvic spaces. However, outcomes also depend on tumor stage, anatomy, neoadjuvant treatment, the surgeon's experience, the hospital's team, and the quality of postoperative care.
When discussing a robotic approach, patients should ask whether the proposed operation is oncologically equivalent or superior for their specific tumor, whether a permanent or temporary stoma is likely, how the team assesses circumferential resection margins, and how urinary, sexual, and bowel function will be monitored after surgery.
The reported local-recurrence findings are clinically important, but they still need to be interpreted alongside the full study population, follow-up duration, surgical quality, preoperative treatment, complication rates, and functional outcomes. A consultation should focus on how the evidence applies to the individual patient rather than treating the procedure name as the main decision.
Team profile: A colorectal surgery program using prospective randomized evidence to evaluate whether robotic technology can improve oncological outcomes in technically demanding rectal cancer surgery.
3. How to Read These Advances as a Patient
The two Zhongshan Hospital programs address different clinical problems:
- Liver oncology: how to reduce recurrence, use perioperative therapy, convert selected advanced HCC to surgery, and understand metastatic biology.
- Colorectal surgery: how to choose a surgical approach for mid- and low-rectal cancer while protecting oncological and functional outcomes.
Patients should distinguish between a publication, a completed clinical trial, regulatory approval, and routine availability. A study may support a treatment strategy without meaning that the treatment is suitable for every patient or available for every indication. The clinical question is always: does the evidence apply to this patient's tumor type, stage, previous treatment, organ function, and treatment goals?
4. How CMCS Helps International Patients Discuss Innovative Treatment with Specialists
For an international patient considering liver cancer or colorectal cancer care in Shanghai, the most useful first step is usually not choosing a procedure from a list. It is preparing a complete case summary and bringing the right clinical questions to the appropriate specialist team.
China Medical Concierge Shanghai (CMCS) is a health management and medical coordination service. CMCS can help international patients connect with specialist doctors and hospital resources in Shanghai, but it is not a hospital and does not independently diagnose, prescribe, or replace the treating medical team.
Before a consultation, CMCS can help organize:
- Pathology reports, immunohistochemistry, and molecular or genetic testing;
- CT, MRI, PET-CT, ultrasound, and other imaging, including the original files when available;
- Operative reports, endoscopy findings, and previous treatment records;
- Medication history, treatment response, adverse effects, and current symptoms;
- Laboratory results, liver function, kidney function, blood counts, and relevant tumor markers.
For overseas patients, the information can be summarized in English for the Shanghai specialist. This helps the doctor quickly understand the diagnosis, treatment timeline, current clinical question, and areas where a second opinion is needed.
CMCS can also help prepare focused questions such as:
- Is surgery currently appropriate, or could systemic treatment create a conversion-surgery opportunity?
- What evidence supports the proposed perioperative drug combination for this diagnosis and stage?
- Is a molecular or multi-omics test clinically validated and likely to change the treatment plan?
- For rectal cancer, would robotic surgery provide a meaningful benefit for this tumor's location and stage?
- What are the expected effects on margins, local recurrence, stoma risk, bowel function, urinary function, and sexual function?
- Is the treatment approved, part of a clinical trial, off-label, or still investigational?
- What alternatives have stronger evidence or a better balance of benefit and risk?
During the consultation, CMCS can assist with appointment coordination, medical interpretation, communication between the patient and the care team, and clarification of the doctor's recommendations. Afterward, a case manager can help organize the proposed next steps, identify additional tests or records, clarify the follow-up schedule, and coordinate further communication with the hospital.
The final treatment decision must be made by the patient and the treating medical team. CMCS does not select an innovative medicine or operation independently. Its role is to help the patient bring complete information to the right specialist and make sure that the indication, evidence, risks, alternatives, access, and monitoring plan are clearly discussed.
To learn more about oncology consultations and treatment coordination in Shanghai, contact CMCS:
Email: contract@medicalsh.com
WhatsApp: Contact CMCS on WhatsApp
Website: medicalsh.com
Conclusion
The liver oncology and colorectal surgery teams at Fudan University Zhongshan Hospital represent two different but complementary directions in modern cancer care. One combines perioperative therapy, conversion surgery, and multi-omics research to expand the treatment possibilities for liver cancer. The other uses randomized evidence to examine whether robotic surgery can improve outcomes for patients with mid- and low-rectal cancer.
For patients, the most valuable next step is not to pursue every new technology, but to determine which evidence-based option fits the diagnosis, stage, biology, previous treatment, and personal goals. This article was prepared from the team and program information provided for editorial use. Research milestones, approval status, and clinical data should be confirmed through the hospital, research team, regulatory authorities, and formally published studies. This article is for medical education only and is not individualized medical advice.
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