On March 21, 2026, the Academic Seminar on Clinical Practices of Colorectal Surgery was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Hosted by the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, the event brought together top-tier colorectal surgery experts from across China for in-depth discussions on key topics, including colorectal cancer liver metastasis, peritoneal metastasis, para-aortic lymph node metastasis, locally advanced rectal cancer, combined organ resection, and the association between obesity and colorectal cancer. Prof. Toh Han Chong from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) attended the conference.Prof. Toh pointed out that the most promising mechanism for converting “cold” colorectal tumors into “hot” ones lies in MSI status, and that patients with MSI-H (microsatellite instability-high) colon cancer can derive substantial benefits from immune checkpoint inhibitors. Regarding T-cell therapy, he identified manufacturing scalability, production speed, and cost efficiency as key bottlenecks limiting its widespread clinical application, and highlighted in vivo CAR-T therapy as a major breakthrough direction over the next 5 to 10 years. Drawing on his decades of experience in tumor immunology research, he advised young physicians to pioneer trends rather than merely follow them. Addressing the survival outcome gap in colorectal cancer between Singapore and China, he stated that China can leverage its strengths in artificial intelligence to optimize early cancer screening and detection, shifting the clinical paradigm from treatment-centric care toward early prevention.
