Solving Clinical Challenges and Leading Care: Breakthroughs Demonstrate the Strength of Chinese Medicine
Editor's note: From accurate disease diagnosis to the formulation of personalized treatment plans, from process optimization to heart-warming stories, Fudan's medical staff have always practiced the spirit of "serving the people", and Fudan's affiliated hospitals have always been exploring and innovating at the forefront of building a "Healthy China". In order to let the public have a deeper understanding of these outstanding practices, Fudan Shanghai Medical University will continue to publish warm stories about medical services, technological innovation and medical humanities to showcase medical achievements, inherit the medical spirit, strive to build a bridge of communication between the public and the medical industry, and show the hard work and responsibility of medical workers and the light of humanity behind medicine.
The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made key arrangements for accelerating the construction of a healthy China and promoting high-quality population development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. It clearly proposed the implementation of a health-first development strategy and regarded ensuring people's health as an important support for promoting high-quality development. It provided clear action guidelines for continuously improving people's livelihood and well-being.
In the practice of Fudan University’s affiliated hospitals, this strategic deployment is taking root through concrete health “connections”. The "connection" here is not an abstract concept. It is China's solutions going global and benefiting patients around the world; it is the diagnosis and treatment pathway for international cutting-edge drugs to cross borders and reach patient beds; it is the health defense line built by multiple disciplines; it is the thrilling life relays under cross-hospital collaboration... Every connection is a life link intertwined with medical technology and humanistic care, breaking boundaries and lighting up hope countless times.
(Click on the hospital name to jump to the original text or related reports pushed by each hospital)
Zhongshan Hospital
China’s plan to “go global”
Breakthrough in treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
Recently, the interim analysis of the multi-center, randomized controlled phase II/III clinical study (ZSAB-neoGOLP) led by Academician Fan Jia of Zhongshan Hospital and Fudan University obtained positive results. This achievement was presented in the form of a latest breakthrough abstract (LBA) oral report at the 2025 European Society of Oncology (ESMO) Annual Meeting held recently. Professor Shi Guoming reported the research data in detail, attracting international attention. This is a deep connection between China's liver cancer treatment plan and the international frontier, and it is also a vivid practice of "Chinese research - global benefit".
This study focuses on intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), which is resectable and has high-risk recurrence factors. This is the second most common subtype of primary liver cancer with rising global incidence and high malignancy. About 70% of patients will lose the opportunity for surgery when diagnosed and the benefits of traditional chemotherapy are limited. More It is the first multi-center randomized controlled phase II/III study to use a PD-1 inhibitor (toripalimab) combined with targeted therapy (lenvatinib) and chemotherapy (GEMOX regimen) for neoadjuvant treatment of high-risk recurrent iCCA, filling the treatment gap in the field.
research design
The study plans to enroll 178 patients with resectable iCCA with high-risk factors for recurrence and randomly divide them into the experimental group and the control group at a ratio of 1:1, with event-free survival (EFS) as the primary endpoint. As of April 30, 2025, with a median follow-up of 16.9 months, the trial group showed significant advantages: the median EFS reached 18.0 months (8.7 months in the control group), the risk of disease recurrence/progression/death was reduced by 52%, the 1- and 2-year EFS rates were 62.3% and 37.3% respectively (36.8% and 24.7% in the control group), the objective response rate (ORR) was 54.5%, and the major pathological response rate (MPR) was 19.3%, the pathological complete response rate (pCR) was 4.5%, the overall survival (OS) showed a significant improvement trend (the median OS in the control group was 31.4 months, which has not yet been reached in the experimental group), and the risk of death was reduced by 57%. At the same time, the incidence of grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAE) in the neoadjuvant treatment phase was only 26.4%, with no treatment-related deaths and no increase in surgical risks.
Huashan Hospital
"Medicine introduction" across the world
Let glioma patients not have to travel far
Recently, with the support of the state and the Shanghai Municipal Food and Drug Administration, the Hongqiao Campus of Huashan Hospital passed the "Temporary Import Work Plan for Clinically Urgent Drugs" and introduced the world's first IDH dual-target inhibitor (available abroad but not registered domestically) for the treatment of patients with IDH-mutant diffuse glioma, allowing patients to obtain treatment options in line with international standards.
Glioma is a common malignant tumor in the brain that is prone to recurrence and highly disabling. The annual incidence rate in China is 5/100,000 to 8/100,000. About 47%-53% of patients carry IDH1/2 mutations. The median age of onset of mutant patients is about 40 years old. Current treatments face problems such as difficulty in complete resection by surgery, and neurocognitive damage caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Patients often suffer from memory loss, movement disorders, etc., and their quality of life is seriously affected.
IDH dual-target inhibitors are important targeted drugs for glioma. This introduction will provide convenience for patients who need to purchase drugs overseas. Currently, Huashan Hospital has used it to treat 3 patients with an average age below 40 years old. It can extend the overall survival of patients, improve their quality of life, and help young patients return to society and work and study.
As one of the three national medical centers for neurological diseases, Huashan Hospital completes nearly 2,500 glioma surgeries every year and has established a multidisciplinary glioma treatment (MDT) team covering multiple departments. It is one of the largest glioma diagnosis and treatment centers in the country.
cancer hospital
Surgery or not? individualized treatment
Let patients with pulmonary nodules avoid “one size fits all”
With the popularization of low-dose spiral CT screening, the detection rate of multiple ground-glass nodules (GGO) in the lungs has increased significantly. The traditional "immediate resection of all lesions" strategy has problems such as large loss of lung function and reduced quality of life. It has become a clinical problem to explore more reasonable alternatives.
Recently, the results of the world's first prospective study (ECTOP1021) on patients with multiple GGOs, led by Professor Chen Haiquan of the Cancer Hospital and participated by multiple domestic centers, were published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
The study included 406 patients from 5 centers. Patients will undergo chest CT follow-up every year. If the disease progresses but does not exceed the window period, the patient will continue to be monitored. If the lesion exceeds the window period, surgery is recommended. A total of 8 patients were studied for surgery. The median follow-up was 35.4 months, and the 5-year overall survival rate of patients was 100%; only 8.1% of patients progressed, and 1.5% developed new lesions. All 8 surgical patients were stage IA1, and the prognosis was good, confirming that the active surveillance strategy is safe and feasible.
Individualized management strategy based on “pulmonary function loss assessment”
Professor Chen Haiquan’s team proposed three types of management strategies based on “pulmonary function loss assessment”. First, if there are peripheral lesions and the loss of lung function after resection is <20%, active monitoring can be carried out, or total surgical resection can be performed at the appropriate time; second, if there are multiple lesions/central lesions, and the loss of lung function after resection is >20%, active monitoring should be given priority to avoid large-scale surgery; Third, if the lesions are diffusely distributed and resection will cause serious loss of lung function, active monitoring should be carried out first, and progressive lesions should be selectively treated, and total resection is not recommended. This study provides evidence-based basis for individualized treatment of multiple GGO and avoids over-treatment. In the future, the team plans to expand the sample size and extend the follow-up time to further verify the active surveillance strategy and take into account patients' needs for radical treatment and quality of life.
Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital
Join forces to break the situation, multi-disciplinary collaboration
Relay to protect the safe birth of babies with diaphragmatic hernia
When 30-year-old Ms. J was having a major fetal anomaly, she was told that the fetus might suffer from left diaphragmatic hernia, and that the heart, stomach and other organs would be "dislocated", which could lead to severe lung hypoplasia, pulmonary hypertension, or even intrauterine fetal death. She and her family fell into anxiety.
At the critical moment, Ms. J sought help from the obstetrics and gynecology hospital. The hospital quickly launched a multidisciplinary collaboration mechanism, led by chief physician Zhang Bin, and teamed up with experts from obstetrics, neonatology, and ultrasound, and specially invited experts from pediatric hospitals for consultation. After the evaluation, it was determined that the fetus had a moderate-risk diaphragmatic hernia and the amniotic fluid was normal. If the lung development was maintained stably during pregnancy and special treatment and surgery were performed after full-term delivery, the child would have a chance to grow normally. This gave Ms. J’s family regained confidence.
During the subsequent pregnancy, every prenatal check-up was a "pass through". From 26 to 38 weeks of pregnancy, the hospital arranged high-frequency high-risk ultrasound monitoring for Ms. J to track fetal O/ELHR (a key indicator for evaluating lung development) and pleural effusion. Fortunately, multiple examinations showed that the fetus had no edema or pericardial effusion, the lung-to-head ratio continued to be ≥45%, and the organs were well developed, laying the foundation for subsequent diagnosis and treatment.
At 38 weeks of pregnancy, Ms. J had sudden uterine contractions. Shen Jie, deputy chief physician of the obstetrics department, and her team immediately launched an emergency plan and successfully performed a cesarean section. At the same time, the neonatology team carried out extrauterine intrapartum treatment (EXIT) to quickly complete tracheal intubation when the fetus has not separated from the mother's body and relies on the placenta for blood supply to ensure that the baby can breathe on its own after birth. Subsequently, the pediatric surgery team of the Children's Hospital performed the diaphragmatic hernia repair. Thanks to the seamless collaboration and care of the multidisciplinary team, the baby recovered smoothly after surgery and was discharged safely. This life-protection that spanned several months finally came to a happy ending.
Pediatric Hospital
Both houses are united
Reconnect the "heart pulse" for children with congenital heart disease
The Kali couple from Ili, Xinjiang, went to Shanghai to seek medical treatment because their fetus suffered from a critical heart malformation. In the end, with the help of the cardiac surgery team of the Children's Hospital, the baby regained life.
Recently, the Children's Hospital successfully treated two children with complex congenital heart disease, complete transposition of the great arteries and intact interventricular septum (TGA/IVS). This type of disease will cause the children's aorta and pulmonary artery to be misaligned, and the systemic and pulmonary circulation to be unable to exchange normally. If timely intervention is not performed after birth, it is easy to die from severe hypoxemia and cardiac insufficiency.
In order to protect more children, the pediatric hospital and the obstetrics and gynecology hospital have carried out cross-hospital collaboration, established a "prenatal-postpartum seamless integrated management" model, and established a multidisciplinary team (MDT) including neonatology, cardiac surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and fetal ultrasound teams. During pregnancy, the fetal ultrasound team of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital accurately diagnosed fetal heart abnormalities, and the multidisciplinary team consulted to evaluate the prognosis and formulated perinatal management and postpartum treatment plans in advance. The two expectant mothers were also admitted to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in advance as planned.
On the day of delivery, the rescue was carried out in an orderly manner. The neonatal transport team of the pediatric hospital is on standby outside the delivery room. The baby is immediately transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital after birth. After examination, he is transferred to the cardiac surgery care unit for preoperative evaluation and supportive treatment. Subsequently, the teams of Cardiac Surgery Director Ye Ming and Deputy Director Zhang Huifeng performed aortic switch surgery on 3- and 7-day-old children on August 29 and September 15 respectively, successfully correcting the misalignment of blood vessels.
At present, both children have recovered and been discharged. Zhang Huifeng said that although surgery for this type of congenital heart disease carries risks, it can be cured and most children have a good prognosis. It is reported that the Cardiovascular Center of the Children's Hospital has relied on this integrated management process to treat more than 100 children with complex congenital heart disease, building a solid lifeline for sick newborns.
Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital
The difficult surgery was successful!
Terminal blind patients regain sight
Recently, the ocular surface disease team of the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital successfully performed artificial cornea transplantation on two patients with Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS). The conditions of both patients are difficult cases in ophthalmology clinical practice. The 38-year-old female patient in Shenzhen also suffers from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The 13-year-old patient in Bengbu, Anhui Province suffered from corneal opacity and amblyopia due to SJS. Conventional corneal transplantation was ineffective, and artificial corneal transplantation became the only hope.
Happily, the surgery ultimately achieved results beyond expectations. The female patient's corrected visual acuity reached 0.7, and the young patient's visual acuity improved significantly, and he will receive amblyopia training in the future. The success of these two operations has restored the confidence of the two families, and also marks a new level of technology for the hospital in the field of treatment of blindness caused by end-stage ocular surface diseases.
The success of this operation solved a major practical problem in the field of corneal transplantation in China. According to statistics, millions of patients with corneal blindness in China are in need of treatment, and less than 10,000 corneas are donated each year. A large number of patients are trapped in the dilemma of "no cornea available". Artificial corneal transplantation technology is mature and provides the "last hope" for terminally ill patients. The hospital has previously carried out the first batch of surgeries, and now the technology is stable and can be carried out in a routine and systematic manner and incorporated into the diagnosis and treatment process.
Professor Gong Lan, director of the Department of Ocular Surface Diseases, said the operation is the “crown jewel” of ophthalmology. The hospital has mastered the full-process technical system and has standardized procedures from patient screening to postoperative follow-up, and can serve patients in East China and even the whole country. For groups such as young patients, the hospital will also customize a long-term visual rehabilitation plan to help them adapt to school and integrate into society.
Every "connection" between the affiliated hospitals of Fudan University is writing the warmth of medicine. It is the delivery of drugs across national borders, it is emergency rescue between cities, it is a two-way rush between technology and humanity... These connections break regional boundaries, technical barriers, and resource gaps, so that high-quality medical resources are no longer limited to the banks of the Pujiang River, but span mountains and seas, reaching every corner of need, lighting up hope for more lives.