Five-Year Survival Rates for Three Major Urologic Cancers Reach World-Class Levels, Bringing the “Chinese Approach” to Global Patients
From record-breaking survival outcomes in precision-targeted therapy for urothelial carcinoma, to consecutive breakthroughs in function-preserving prostate cancer surgery, and the establishment of individualized treatment paradigms for rare renal cancer subtypes—at the recently held 2025 International Urologic Oncology Summit, the urologic oncology team of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, led by Professor Dingwei Ye, founding chair of the Department of Urology and Chief Expert of the Genitourinary Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), unveiled a series of original clinical and translational research achievements.
The “Fudan Cancer Center” team has constructed a comprehensive “gradient treatment” system covering urologic malignancies—from early screening and precision surgery to MDT-based comprehensive treatment and clinical research. This approach has significantly improved five-year survival rates for patients with prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and urothelial carcinoma, bringing outcomes on par with leading international cancer centers. Several of these studies have already reshaped international clinical guidelines, allowing the “Chinese approach” to benefit patients worldwide.
Precision Early Screening Raises Early Prostate Cancer Detection to 68%
With population aging and advances in diagnostic technologies, the incidence of prostate cancer, renal cancer, and bladder cancer in China continues to rise. “Late diagnosis and a high proportion of advanced disease remain the primary reasons survival rates in China lag behind those in developed countries,” Professor Ye noted.
To address this challenge, Professor Ye’s team took the lead nationally in implementing free PSA screening for prostate cancer, promoting early imaging-based renal cancer detection, and establishing risk-based surveillance pathways for bladder cancer, positioning precision early screening as the cornerstone of treatment success.
Through community engagement and regional collaboration, early tumor detection rates have increased substantially, creating critical opportunities for curative treatment. According to the latest data from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, PSA screening combined with multiparametric MRI–ultrasound fusion biopsy has raised the early diagnosis rate of prostate cancer to 68%, nearly doubling the rate seen five years ago.
The “Fudan Precision Surgery System”: Improving Outcomes While Preserving Quality of Life
For patients with early-stage urologic malignancies, surgery remains the primary curative option. “Our goal is not only standardized radical surgery,” Professor Ye emphasized, “but also preserving function through refined techniques, so patients can live longer—and live better.”
Given the functional complexity of urologic organs, surgery can compromise urinary continence, voiding function, sexual function, or renal reserve. With function preservation as a central priority, Professor Ye’s team extended its prostate cancer surgical innovations to nephron-sparing surgery for renal and renal pelvic tumors, as well as radical cystectomy with urinary reconstruction for bladder cancer.
“With the fourth-generation da Vinci robotic system and domestically developed surgical robotics, we now have top-tier tools to support our techniques,” Professor Ye explained. “This allows complete tumor resection while maximally preserving critical structures and reconstructing organ function.”
Currently, postoperative urinary continence recovery exceeds 97% in early prostate cancer, over 90% of early renal cancer patients undergo nephron-sparing surgery, and an increasing proportion of bladder cancer patients retain their bladder or receive orthotopic neobladder reconstruction. Survival and quality of life have improved simultaneously.
MDT-Driven Precision Treatment Improves Outcomes in Advanced Disease
For patients with recurrent or metastatic disease, single-modality therapy is often insufficient. Leveraging one of China’s most comprehensive urologic oncology MDT platforms, Professor Ye’s team designs truly individualized treatment strategies.
“Whether it is precision hormonal therapy for prostate cancer, targeted–immunotherapy combinations for renal cancer, or neoadjuvant and adjuvant strategies for bladder cancer, the MDT model ensures that every decision is evidence-based and state-of-the-art.”
Through molecular stratification and optimized treatment sequencing, response rates in advanced disease have improved significantly, with consistent survival extension. At the Yangtze River Delta Clinical Research Innovation Forum, the team shared a landmark case of ten-year survival in advanced renal cancer complicated by cardiovascular disease. Using MDT coordination, a ‘low-dose initiation with dynamic titration’ strategy, standardized sequencing, clinical trial participation, and adaptive treatment adjustments, the team successfully balanced efficacy and safety.
“Such long-term survivors are not rare,” Professor Ye stated. “They demonstrate that MDT-guided precision treatment can open a path to long survival even in complex, advanced cases.”
Investigator-Initiated Trials Illuminate Hope for Patients with No Standard Options
When standard therapies fail, clinical research often represents the last hope. As a national leader in urologic oncology research, Professor Ye’s team has built a full-spectrum clinical research system spanning all three major urologic cancers from early to late stages.
“Our investigator-initiated ADC trials achieved an objective response rate of nearly 80% and a disease control rate exceeding 90% in chemotherapy-refractory urothelial carcinoma—almost doubling the efficacy of traditional chemotherapy,” Professor Ye noted. These findings were published in leading journals including the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) and Annals of Oncology (AO).
Additionally, domestically developed deuterated agents have expanded options for castration-resistant prostate cancer, while immunotherapy combinations have demonstrated outstanding efficacy in advanced renal cancer. These studies not only provide patients with access to cutting-edge therapies at no cost, but also propel Chinese-developed innovations onto the global stage.
International experts attending the forum—including Annals of Oncology Editor-in-Chief Professor Thomas Powles, JCO Deputy Editor Professor Andrea Necchi, and renowned renal cancer specialist Professor Brian Rini—praised the Fudan team’s achievements, noting that Chinese investigators are transitioning from participation to leadership in global research. Their work has already reshaped urothelial carcinoma treatment guidelines and provided high-efficacy, low-toxicity options for patients worldwide.
From Follower to Leader: The “Chinese Approach” Benefits Patients Worldwide
Through an integrated “early screening–surgery–comprehensive treatment–clinical research” gradient care model, Professor Ye and his team have achieved comprehensive improvements in outcomes.
Latest data show that at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center:
- Overall five-year survival for prostate cancer reaches 82.6%
- Overall five-year survival for renal cancer reaches 77.1%
- Overall five-year survival for bladder cancer reaches 74%
All three exceed national averages and rival outcomes at leading international cancer centers.
As Professor Ye concluded at the forum’s closing ceremony:
“These achievements reflect decades of commitment to quality care, technological innovation, and patient-centered thinking. Moving forward, we will continue integrating precision surgery with comprehensive treatment. The Chinese approach should not only save patients at home, but also contribute Eastern wisdom to global urologic oncology—so more patients can live longer, and live better.”
