From November 6 to 9, 2025, the China Conference on Holistic and Integrative Oncology (CCHIO 2025) was successfully held in the spring city of Kunming. As one of the largest and most influential oncology conferences in China, this year’s meeting gathered leading oncology experts worldwide to explore frontier progress and future pathways in cancer prevention and treatment through the lens of integrative medicine.
During the conference, Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier invited Professor Zhang Huilai, Chair of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (CACA) Lymphoma Committee and Professor at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, for an in-depth discussion on several key topics:
- the practical implementation of integrative medicine in lymphoma,
- the clinical integration of precision therapy,
- evolving diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, and
- the strategic roadmap for committee development.
Integrative Medicine: A Full-Chain Model Guiding the Future of Lymphoma Care
Academician Fan Daiming, President of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, proposed the concept of integrative medicine, particularly emphasizing a full-chain model incorporating prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, palliation, compliance, management, care, and survivorship.
This conceptual framework aligns closely with the core needs of comprehensive lymphoma management, offering crucial guidance for the development of lymphoma diagnosis and treatment in China.
Precision Medicine in Lymphoma: Diagnostics as the Foundation for Accurate Therapy
Lymphoma treatment has fully entered the era of precision oncology. At initial diagnosis, patients should undergo a thorough diagnostic work-up, including:
- PET-CT or enhanced CT imaging
- Genetic testing and liquid biopsy
- Immunohistochemistry and molecular typing
The purpose of this multi-dimensional evaluation is to gather robust diagnostic data to guide individualized precision treatment. Only by upholding the principle of precision therapy can clinicians fundamentally improve long-term survival and quality of life in lymphoma patients — demonstrating the intrinsic connection between integrative medicine and precision oncology.
Integrative Care Needs Differ by Lymphoma Subtype
1. Indolent Lymphoma
Patients with indolent lymphoma often have prolonged survival, making them ideal candidates for full-course integrative management. While complete cure remains challenging, integrative strategies — including psychological support, nutritional intervention, and rehabilitation — are essential for improving long-term outcomes.
2. Aggressive Lymphoma
Aggressive lymphoma also benefits greatly from integrative principles. With the increasing clinical adoption of:
- hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,
- bispecific antibodies,
- CAR-T cell therapy,
the need for multidisciplinary collaboration has become more prominent. For example, CAR-T and bispecific antibody treatments require coordination involving:
- ICU teams for patient safety,
- clinical pharmacists for therapeutic monitoring,
- neurology teams and nursing staff for managing neurotoxicity and other complications.
Multidisciplinary teamwork is indispensable for ensuring safe and effective application of these advanced therapies.
MDT Integration: A Key Pillar for Precision Oncology
As precision medicine and integrative medicine become increasingly intertwined, multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment (MDT) has become essential across the entire lymphoma care continuum.
Top-tier lymphoma centers — at provincial, regional, and national levels — often manage highly complex cases that cannot be solved by a single specialty. Although MDT practices have been adopted across most municipal and county hospitals in China, challenges remain:
- variable MDT quality,
- risk of superficial or “formalistic” MDT discussions,
- limited ability to manage complex cases.
Thus, provincial and regional core hospitals must play a guiding and capacity-building role, supporting grassroots hospitals through online consultations, training, case discussions, and ongoing professional mentorship.
Under the leadership of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the lymphoma specialty will continue expanding and refining MDT practices to benefit more patients nationwide.
Committee Development: New Vision and Strategic Planning
On September 20, 2025, the CACA Lymphoma Committee held its re-election meeting in Shenyang. As the newly elected Committee Chair, Professor Zhang emphasized both the responsibility and mission of advancing lymphoma care based on the strong foundation built by previous leadership.
Future committee work will include both routine and innovative tasks:
Routine tasks:
- clinical guideline tours and updates
- member development
- organization of national academic conferences
Innovative initiatives:
- establishing a young investigators group
- conducting multicenter clinical studies
- strengthening international collaboration
- promoting nationwide science communication and grassroots education
Special initiatives will also be implemented to address key clinical challenges. Examples include:
- forming working groups dedicated to cell therapy development
- building expert taskforces to improve the management of EBV-positive lymphoma and associated complications
To strengthen nationwide coverage of lymphoma expertise, the 2025 committee expansion intentionally included representatives from Guizhou and Tibet, achieving full provincial representation across China and laying a stronger foundation for regional resource integration.
Strengthening Pathology: The Cornerstone of Accurate Diagnosis
Pathological diagnosis is the critical foundation of lymphoma management and directly influences treatment decisions. The committee will continue advancing the establishment of regional pathology consultation centers, particularly to address diagnostic challenges in grassroots hospitals.
Through standardized training, technical guidance, and remote support, the goal is to enhance diagnostic accuracy nationwide — ensuring that precision therapy begins with precision diagnosis.
Toward a Nationwide Model of Integrated, Standardized, and Precise Lymphoma Care
Looking ahead, the committee will deepen the implementation of guideline dissemination, grassroots education, and regional training. By constructing a vertical transmission model — “Guideline → Regional Training → Grassroots Practice”, combined with new platforms for integrated diagnosis and treatment, China aims to elevate lymphoma care toward:
- greater precision,
- improved standardization, and
- higher quality nationwide.
Ultimately, this will establish a comprehensive integrative medicine framework encompassing diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and survivorship, improving both the life quality and prognosis of lymphoma patients.
Expert Profile
Professor Zhang Huìlái Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital
- PhD in Oncology, Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor
- Director, Department of Lymphoma
- Committee Member, National Cancer Center Lymphoma Quality Control Committee
- Board Member, 9th Council of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association
- Chair, CACA Lymphoma Professional Committee
- Standing Committee Member, CSCO Lymphoma Expert Committee
- Member, Chinese Medical Association Oncology Branch Lymphoma Group
- Vice Chair, Tumor Immunotherapy Committee, China Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics
- Vice Chair, Lymphoma Committee, China Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics
- Vice President, Tianjin Medical Doctor Association Hematology Branch
- Chair, Chemotherapy Committee, Tianjin Anti-Cancer Association
Professor Zhang has been selected for the Tianjin High-Level Healthcare Talent Program and multiple clinical talent-development programs.
He has received numerous awards, including:
- Third Prize, Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award
- Science Popularization Award, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association
- Second and Third Prizes, Tianjin Science and Technology Progress Award
He has led and participated in multiple National Natural Science Foundation projects and provincial-level grants.
Professor Zhang serves as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tumor Pharmacy and editorial board member of Chinese Journal of Hematology, Leukemia & Lymphoma, Chinese Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hematological Oncology, Blood Research, Discover Oncology, and others.
He has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles in top international and domestic journals, including Blood, Cancer Research, Journal of Experimental Medicine, JITC, Leukemia, Clinical and Translational Medicine, AJH, BJH, Blood Advances, International Journal of Cancer, and the Chinese Medical Association series.
He is a recipient of the 4th “National Distinguished Clinician” Award.
