See You in Nanjing for BOC/BOA 2025!
Editor’s Note: The 2025 Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (BOC) and Best of ASCO® 2025 China (BOC/BOA) will be held in Nanjing from July 4–5. Top oncology experts from China and around the world will gather in the historic city to review the past year’s clinical research progress in China and share the latest insights from the ASCO Annual Meeting. Ahead of the conference, Oncology Frontier spoke with Professor Jun Guo—Vice President of CSCO and Secretary-General of this year’s meeting—about the purpose behind BOC/BOA and the increasing influence of Chinese clinical research on the global stage.Rooted in China, Looking to the World
BOC/BOA Celebrates the Rise of Chinese Oncology
Oncology Frontier: Could you share the vision behind organizing BOC/BOA? What role does this academic meeting play in advancing clinical research and practice in China?
Prof. Jun Guo: Every year, CSCO hosts a key academic event—BOC/BOA. Initially, it was known as the BOA (Best of ASCO) conference, created to highlight and interpret the most important studies presented at that year’s ASCO Annual Meeting for Chinese oncologists. Over time, we expanded the scope by adding BOC—our own Annual Review of Chinese Clinical Oncology Progress. In recent years, the share of Chinese studies featured at BOC/BOA has steadily grown, reflecting our dual focus on both domestic achievement and global engagement.
Chinese clinical research is gaining increasing international recognition, especially in areas with regional relevance—such as EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), acral and mucosal melanoma—where Chinese-led research is drawing global attention. Additionally, the rapid rise of China’s biopharmaceutical sector and advancements in clinical trial infrastructure have further accelerated drug development. At this year’s ASCO, we saw China taking a much more prominent role in initiating and leading international multicenter trials. Original studies from China have become a unique and important highlight at ASCO.
The BOC/BOA meeting serves as a bridge—combining the latest domestic research with global developments and delivering these findings to oncology professionals nationwide. It not only presents cutting-edge discoveries but also offers new ideas and directions for clinical research and practice. We warmly welcome colleagues from across China and abroad to join us in Nanjing, witness the momentum of Chinese clinical research, and explore how global breakthroughs are shaping patient care.
Seizing Opportunities and Showcasing Strength
Contributing More “Chinese Solutions” to the World
Oncology Frontier: Your teams in urologic oncology and melanoma at Peking University Cancer Hospital have had multiple studies selected for oral and poster presentations at ASCO, and you were invited to deliver a keynote lecture in a continuing education session. Could you highlight some of these achievements and what they reflect about the evolving role of Chinese researchers at ASCO?
Prof. Jun Guo: Reflecting on how far we’ve come, I recall that about 20 years ago, some international colleagues believed China’s academic contribution was nearly zero. At that time, we hadn’t even had a single poster at a major conference—let alone an oral presentation. But over the past seven to eight years, our teams have presented oral reports at every ASCO in melanoma and urologic oncology. This year, we had two oral presentations in melanoma, one in urologic oncology, and a keynote lecture in a melanoma-focused education session.
These achievements are the result of nationwide collaboration and our ability to seize opportunities. Early on, we recognized that the two dominant melanoma subtypes in Asia—acral and mucosal—are rare in Western populations but more common in China and other Asian countries. Japan and South Korea also have high incidence rates, but their patient numbers are limited, making large-scale trials difficult. China, however, has a large patient population and a unique opportunity. By adopting rigorous international clinical research standards and approaching our work with integrity and scientific precision, we’ve gained global respect.
After nearly two decades of effort, the CSCO Melanoma Expert Committee has grown from 13 to 113 members. This group has united over the past decade to carry out numerous high-quality clinical trials. Today, Chinese melanoma research is widely recognized at ASCO and ESMO—not just for rare subtypes but also for drug development, novel treatments, and what we call the “Chinese solution.” For example, our PD-1 inhibitor plus axitinib regimen for mucosal melanoma and our triplet regimen for acral melanoma have both gained international traction.
This year, we were especially excited to see Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) reference our “Chinese solution” in their mucosal melanoma trial. They adopted the axitinib + PD-1 inhibitor strategy and innovated further—randomizing post-first-line patients into two groups: one receiving stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and the other adding ipilimumab. Early results closely mirrored our own data, with an objective response rate (ORR) of 45%, nearly identical to the 48% we previously reported. This shows that our Chinese regimen is effective for American patients with mucosal melanoma as well—an important contribution to global melanoma care.
Looking ahead, I’m confident that our melanoma experts in China will continue working together to carry out impactful clinical studies. We aim to offer more effective “Chinese solutions” for mucosal melanoma and other subtypes common in Asia, while expanding access to new therapies that will benefit patients worldwide.
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- Chief Physician, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor, Peking University Cancer Hospital
- Vice President and Secretary-General, Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO)
- Vice Chair, Melanoma World Society (MWS)
