Editor's Note: The 8th Yunling Breast Cancer Summit Forum, hosted by the Yunnan Anti-Cancer Association and the China Medical Education Association and organized by Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan Hospital/Yunnan Cancer Hospital/The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University/Yunnan Cancer Center, Yunnan Breast Cancer Clinical Research Center, Yunnan Anti-Cancer Association Breast Cancer Professional Committee, Yunnan Medical Association Breast Cancer Professional Committee, and China Medical Education Association Breast Disease Professional Committee, will be held on July 14, 2024, in the beautiful spring city of Kunming. "Oncology Frontier" interviewed Professor Jianyun Nie, the chairman of the conference, to share the highlights of this event.Professor Jianyun Nie: “In the south of colorful clouds, the grand feast continues, allowing thoughts to collide and knowledge to spread once again. The front line of breast cancer prevention and treatment requires the participation of all of us. As a highly influential academic forum in Yunnan and the Southwest region, the 8th Yunling Breast Cancer Summit Forum gathers national experts to promote the improvement of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment standards. This conference features three main sessions, focusing on hot topics in breast cancer internal medicine and surgery, addressing consensus and controversies in breast cancer management and treatment, and showcasing the understanding and application of cutting-edge advancements by young scholars.”
1. Highlights of the Conference
Oncology Frontier: As the chairman of the 8th Yunling Breast Cancer Summit Forum, can you introduce the conference schedule and highlight content?
Professor Jianyun Nie: Since its inception in 2016, the Yunling Breast Cancer Summit Forum has been successfully held seven times, becoming an influential academic conference in the Southwest region. This year, we have three main sections: “Magnificent Wumeng, Expert Discussions,” “Towering Yunling, Renowned Experts,” and “South of Colorful Clouds, Youth Forum.”
In the Expert Discussions session, we invited leading figures in the fields of breast cancer internal medicine and surgery to discuss current issues in breast cancer treatment, sharing their insights from the perspective of experts. In the Renowned Experts session, we invited highly influential domestic experts to discuss the construction of breast cancer disciplines and the latest advancements in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer, including HR+ breast cancer, HER2+ breast cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer, emphasizing the coexistence of consensus and controversies. Through expert discussions, we hope to deepen our understanding of these issues. In the Youth Forum, we invited active young experts to share and exchange on the selection and design of basic and clinical research topics, and the latest advancements from international conferences such as ESMO BC and ASCO, allowing young scholars to grow rapidly in their work and studies.
2. Integrating and Utilizing Medical Resources
Oncology Frontier: Yunnan Cancer Hospital is also one of the hosts of the 2024 CACA Integrated Breast Cancer Conference. Can you share how to more effectively integrate and utilize medical resources to improve the overall level of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment?
Professor Jianyun Nie: The CACA Integrated Breast Cancer Conference emphasizes the concept of “winning in integration” in cancer prevention and treatment, a concept that has been highly regarded in recent years. In the past, we focused more on the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, with various disciplines such as surgery, internal medicine, pathology, and imaging working independently. With the continuous development of medical technology and the enrichment and enhancement of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment methods, there is now an increasing emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration and attention to the physical and mental health of patients. As the survival period of breast cancer patients is gradually extended and improved, we realize that treating breast cancer merely as a disease is far from enough. We also need to pay attention to their roles as women, mothers, and wives.
Under the concept of integrated medicine, we should not only aim to treat the disease better to extend patients’ survival but also focus on how to improve their quality of life. This includes effective prevention before the disease occurs, standardized operations during the treatment process, and ensuring that patients can smoothly continue their lives, work, and studies after treatment, as well as maintaining the integrity of their family and social functions. This integrated concept is what we, as breast cancer medical practitioners, should strive for and aim to achieve. Therefore, we continuously strengthen this concept and apply it to clinical practice to ensure that breast cancer patients can have a higher quality and longer life.
3. Development and Key Focus Areas of the Breast Center
Oncology Frontier: You have been working at Yunnan Cancer Hospital for several years. Can you introduce the development process and current key focus areas of the Breast Center?
Professor Jianyun Nie: The Breast Surgery Department of Yunnan Cancer Hospital was one of the earliest specialized breast departments established in China, with its roots tracing back to 1996. The formal establishment of the Breast Surgery Department took place on January 9, 1997. Although the department initially had a limited scale, with a monthly surgical volume of only about a dozen cases and an annual volume of just over a hundred, it achieved significant development through the growing academic influence and high recognition from patients. Over time, the Breast Department continued to expand from a single department to Breast Surgery Department I, Breast Surgery Department II, and in 2019, the establishment of Breast Surgery Department III. This transformation from a single department to multiple departments running parallelly not only highlighted the significant improvement in the department’s strength but also reflected the increasing number and needs of breast cancer patients. Today, our hospital’s breast cancer surgery volume has climbed to over 2,450 cases annually, demonstrating the rapid growth of the discipline’s scale and strength, as well as the increasing size of the professional medical team.
While focusing on clinical work, we have not forgotten our contributions to scientific research, basic education, and cancer prevention screening. We are committed to pushing the discipline’s construction to new heights, continuously improving quality and striving for significant achievements in scientific research and cancer prevention. Looking forward, we will continue to uphold our original aspirations and forge ahead, bringing higher-quality and more efficient medical services to breast cancer patients and promoting the breast health industry towards a brighter future.
4. International Cooperation and Future Collaborations
Oncology Frontier: Can you introduce the collaborations that Yunnan Cancer Hospital has undertaken with international counterparts in breast cancer treatment? What future collaborations and exchanges do you hope to have with international peers in the field of breast cancer?
Professor Jianyun Nie: In the diagnosis, treatment, research, and teaching of breast cancer, we adhere to the principle of advancing together and constantly pursuing excellence. While growing ourselves, we actively seek to establish deep academic exchanges and cooperation with advanced domestic and international institutions or centers to broaden our horizons, share resources, and learn from each other.
On the domestic level, we have established extensive and in-depth cooperative relationships with many top hospitals in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The cooperation covers clinical research, talent training, physician training, and scientific research collaboration, among other aspects. These collaborations not only promote the collision and integration of academic ideas but also lay a solid foundation for improving our medical service quality and scientific research innovation capabilities.
Internationally, we maintain an open and inclusive attitude and have carried out substantive cooperation and exchanges with multiple developed countries. Particularly in Yunnan Province, a border region, we make full use of our geographical advantages and have established close academic ties with neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, India, and Thailand. Besides regular academic exchanges, we also actively provide academic support and poverty alleviation assistance to aid the development of their medical industries. Additionally, as an affiliated hospital of Kunming Medical University, we undertake the teaching tasks for international students from Southeast Asian countries, contributing to the cultivation of international medical talents.
In summary, from the perspectives of academia, teaching, and clinical practice, we maintain close cooperation and exchange relationships with numerous domestic and international institutions. This open and cooperative model not only promotes our rapid development but also contributes to the improvement of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment levels in the region and globally.
Professor Jianyun Nie
- Ph.D., Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor
- Postdoctoral Fellow, McGill University, Canada
- Vice President, Yunnan Cancer Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University
- Leading Talent in Medicine, Yunnan Province
- Recipient of the “Outstanding Professional and Technical Talent with Significant Contributions in Yunnan Province” allowance
- Youth Council Member, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association
- Standing Committee Member, CSCO Breast Cancer Expert Committee, China
- Standing Committee Member, CSCO Patient Education Expert Committee, China
- Member, Breast Cancer Professional Committee, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association
- Member, Breast Group, Oncology Physicians Branch, Chinese Medical Doctor Association
- Member, Tumor Expert Committee for Capacity Building and Continuing Education, National Health Commission
- Deputy Director, Changjiang Academic Alliance for Breast Cancer
- Chairman, Breast Cancer Professional Committee, Yunnan Medical Association
- Vice Chairman, Breast Cancer Professional Committee, Yunnan Anti-Cancer Association
