Editor’s Note: From September 25 to 29, 2024, the 27th National Clinical Oncology Conference and 2024 CSCO Annual Meeting, organized by the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) and the Beijing Xisike Clinical Oncology Research Foundation, were held in Xiamen. The theme of this year’s conference was “Patient-Centered, Sharing the Future,” bringing together key research advancements and developments in the field from both China and abroad. During the conference, Oncology Frontier had the pleasure of interviewing the conference chair, Dr. Ruihua Xu from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. Professor Xu emphasized the importance of a patient-centered approach to cancer treatment, showcased the latest advances in immunotherapy, and highlighted future research directions and current challenges.

Oncology Frontier : Could you elaborate on this year’s theme, “Patient-Centered, Sharing the Future,” and share the highlights of this year’s meeting in terms of session design and event arrangement?

Dr. Ruihua Xu: I am delighted to have everyone gathered here in Xiamen for the CSCO Annual Meeting and the 27th National Clinical Oncology Conference. This year’s conference is grander than ever, with over 10,000 attendees, reflecting the high level of attention and enthusiasm from the medical community. The theme of this year’s conference, “Patient-Centered, Sharing the Future,” emphasizes a healthcare philosophy that puts people first, prioritizing patients at the center of care. It also looks toward the future, highlighting the application of technological innovations in cancer treatment. While we’ve made remarkable progress in oncology treatment, there are still many unmet clinical needs. We look forward to working with colleagues to explore more effective treatment options in the future.

The conference was rich in content, providing a comprehensive academic feast that integrated multiple perspectives. The key highlights of the event include not only the grand plenary session but also the presentation of the CSCO Annual Achievement Awards, which pay tribute to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to the field of oncology. Additionally, the keynote presentations were packed with impressive breakthroughs, with Chinese researchers and scientists sharing their cutting-edge progress and leading the academic frontier. Notably, the Drug Clinical Research Innovation Session deserves special mention. It served as a dazzling platform for showcasing original Chinese drugs and therapies, as well as a hub for sharing global clinical research trends. Researchers presented innovative findings that have the potential to reshape treatment paradigms. We eagerly await more milestone breakthroughs in this challenging and opportunity-filled field, especially the revolutionary research findings that are being presented for the first time at the CSCO conference.

Moreover, various professional committees held 1–3 sub-sessions tailored to their areas of expertise, where they shared new therapies, concepts, and knowledge in comprehensive, medical, and immunotherapy for specific diseases. Judging by the attendance, these sessions were highly popular, with many venues packed to capacity, further highlighting the rich academic content and strong appeal of the conference.

In total, we organized 67 academic sessions at this year’s event, fostering exchange within the oncology community, raising awareness of oncology, keeping up with the latest developments, and strengthening research collaborations. This will positively impact the advancement of oncology as a field. Additionally, we considered the needs of community-based clinical practice and arranged case sharing, clinical experience exchange, and research training and awards for young physicians. These efforts will help drive the future development of oncology.

Oncology Frontier : Could you share some insights into the immunotherapy research you are currently conducting? What do you see as the key areas of future research in immunotherapy?

Dr. Ruihua Xu: Immunotherapy was a central focus of discussion at this conference, as reflected in both the keynote speeches and the sessions organized by the Immunotherapy Expert Committee. Experts shared their latest research findings in various fields, including some original abstract reports closely related to immunotherapy.

As an emerging treatment modality, immunotherapy has garnered significant attention in the medical community. It shows extraordinary potential and broad prospects for improving treatment outcomes, enhancing patient quality of life, and even increasing cure rates. Despite the relatively short development timeline of immunotherapy drugs, we have already witnessed their immense success and possibilities in clinical applications. Researchers are actively exploring how to use these drugs more effectively and how understanding their underlying mechanisms can further improve efficacy.

In summary, the development of immunotherapy has provided oncologists with new therapeutic tools. It is not only a new treatment method for cancer but also a driving force behind progress in oncology. I believe that as we continue to deepen our understanding of immunotherapy, it will continue to change the way we approach and practice cancer treatment.

Oncology Frontier : What do you see as the key challenges or bottlenecks in translating gastrointestinal cancer immunotherapy from the laboratory to clinical practice?

Dr. Ruihua Xu: Although immunotherapy has achieved remarkable success in certain types of cancer, its effectiveness in gastrointestinal cancers, especially in microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer, remains limited. Currently, no PD-1 antibody or other immune agents have been approved for this type of disease. One of the key challenges we face is the insufficient understanding of the biological behavior of these tumors, including the tumor immune microenvironment and the interactions between tumor and immune cells. To overcome these challenges, we need ongoing systematic translational medical research to uncover the biological characteristics of tumors and the mechanisms of immune cells.

Translational medical research is indeed crucial for advancing immunotherapy because it involves not only understanding the biological behavior of tumors but also exploring how the human body, as a complex organism, can enhance immune efficacy under different conditions. Although the response rate of immunotherapy is relatively low in gastrointestinal cancers, researchers have not given up. Physicians and medical scientists around the world, including our team, are continuously exploring new therapeutic methods and mechanisms, and we have made some progress.

Of course, building an outstanding research team is essential to advancing translational medical research. This effort must be supported by stable and continuous scientific resources and funding. Moreover, we must tightly integrate research with clinical practice, ensuring that research questions arise from clinical needs and that research outcomes can be validated in the clinic and ultimately translated into new therapies to advance diagnosis and treatment in this field.

Dr. Ruihua Xu MD, Director of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, President of the hospital, Director of the Cancer Research Institute, Director of the National Key Laboratory of South China Malignant Tumor Prevention and Treatment, and PhD supervisor.

Member of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, former President of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO), Vice President of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, Founding Chair of the Targeted Therapy Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, and Chair of the Chemotherapy Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association. Chair of the Colorectal Cancer Committee of CSCO, Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Communications, and Chief Editor of the graduate textbook Oncology and undergraduate textbook Clinical Oncology.

As corresponding or first author, Professor Xu has published over 200 SCI papers in top international journals such as JAMA, Nature Medicine, Nature Materials, Cancer Cell, and Lancet Oncology. He has been recognized as a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher and has been listed as one of China’s Most Highly Cited Scholars for several consecutive years. As the first recipient, he has won two second prizes for National Science and Technology Progress, one National Innovation Award, six provincial first prizes, the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Progress Award, the Wu Jieping Medical Innovation Award, the Tan Jiazhen Clinical Medicine Award, and the CSCO Annual Achievement Award. Professor Xu is also part of the National Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Talent Project, has been named a National Outstanding Worker, and has received the State Council Special Allowance, as well as recognition through the South Guangdong Top 100 Talents Program and as a National Outstanding Young and Middle-aged Expert in Health and Family Planning.