UroStream

In recent years, rapid advances in surgical robotics and information technology have enabled remote robotic surgery to transcend geographic barriers and redefine the future of surgical care. At the same time, China’s innovative drug development efforts have achieved major international milestones. The phase III RC48-C016 study evaluating toripalimab plus disitamab vedotin (DV) as first-line treatment for urothelial carcinoma was published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), marking a landmark achievement for Chinese oncology research.

The 2026 CUDA Yanqi Lake Urology Academic Conference was successfully held, bringing together leading urologists, clinical experts, and researchers from across China. Centered on the theme “Innovation Empowering Clinical Care, Collaboration Driving Progress,” the meeting featured in-depth discussions on key topics including advances in urologic oncology, translational innovation at the intersection of medicine and engineering, and expanding access to high-quality healthcare resources.

Urothelial carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies of the urinary tract, with bladder cancer representing its most prevalent subtype. In recent years, immunotherapy has offered new hope for patients with advanced disease. However, not all patients derive meaningful benefit.

On May 21, 2026, a research team led by Professor Zhuowei Liu, Dr. Zikun Ma, and Associate Research Fellow Xiaoyu Liang from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center published a study in Cancer Cell entitled “Endocytic Escape Drives Tumor Resistance to Antibody–Drug Conjugate Therapy.” The study systematically characterized the adaptive remodeling processes underlying resistance to antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) using humanized mouse models, single-cell sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics.

For many years, platinum-based chemotherapy has remained the standard first-line treatment for urothelial carcinoma, yet outcomes have remained suboptimal. As targeted therapies and immunotherapy continue to advance rapidly, there is growing demand for more effective precision treatment strategies.

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) accounts for a substantially higher proportion of urothelial carcinoma cases in China than in Western populations. Although radical nephroureterectomy remains the standard treatment for UTUC, many patients become ineligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy after surgery because of impaired renal function and other comorbidities. Furthermore, subgroup analyses from three major adjuvant immunotherapy trials have failed to demonstrate a significant disease-free survival (DFS) benefit in patients with UTUC, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies.

For nearly four decades, platinum-based chemotherapy has remained the standard first-line treatment for urothelial carcinoma (UC). However, its limitations—including modest survival outcomes and significant treatment-related toxicity—have persisted as major clinical challenges.

At this year’s CURC & ARUF Congress, Professor Linhui Wang from the First Affiliated Hospital of the Naval Medical University (Shanghai Changhai Hospital) served as Executive Chair of the meeting. During the Master Lecture session, he delivered a systematic analysis of the causes underlying postoperative abdominal wall bulging following retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery. The congress also featured extensive live surgical demonstrations and dedicated sessions focused on the clinical application of domestically developed surgical robotic systems. In light of these key topics, Oncology Frontier invited Professor Wang for an in-depth interview.