Gynecologic Oncology Department

The Gynecologic Oncology Department at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, is dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, genetic counseling of gynecologic cancers, as well as the comprehensive management of precancerous lesions in the endometrium and cervix.

The history of the Gynecologic Oncology Department dates back to the 1960s, stemming from the Department of Oncology Surgery at Zhongshan Hospital and the Department of Oncology Surgery at Fudan University Cancer Hospital. Guided by the expertise of senior gynecologic oncology specialists, and through the efforts of three generations of department heads, the department has become a leading institution in China for the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian and cervical cancers.

In September 2014, Professor Rongyu Zang, along with his ovarian cancer treatment team, moved to Fudan University's Zhongshan Hospital. In 2015, the Gynecologic Oncology Subspecialty was established within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Zhongshan Hospital. Notably, clinical diagnosis and treatment for gynecologic malignancies, particularly ovarian and cervical cancers, have seen significant advancements. The department is the founder and inaugural leading unit of the Shanghai Gynecologic Oncology Group (SGOG). It continues to lead several international and domestic multicenter clinical research initiatives initiated by investigators. These efforts have gained international recognition and laid the foundation for the development of a Gynecologic Oncology team in China, focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of specialty diseases like ovarian cancer. 

In November 2020, with strong support from the hospital's leadership, the Gynecologic Oncology Department officially became an independent department at Zhongshan Hospital, with Professor Rongyu Zang serving as the inaugural department head. In July 2022, it officially established the first clinical center for ovarian cancer in China. This center aims to lead clinical practices in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, focusing on standardized, refined, and comprehensive management.

The department currently includes 3 chief physicians, 1 Ph.D. supervisor, 2 master's supervisors, 1 full-time researcher, and 1 recipient of the National Postdoctoral Fellowship.

**Medical Specialties**

1. **Gynecologic Oncology**

   - Specialized clinics for ovarian cancer, cervical lesion, endometrial lesion, as well as six clinics include clinical trial follow-up clinics, genetic counseling for gynecologic malignancies, cervical lesions, colposcopy, and endometrial lesions.

   - The department has performed over 800 gynecologic oncology surgeries annually in the last two years, with a growth rate of 28-31%.

     Based on the safety and efficacy of radical surgery for advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer, reasonable and standardized multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment (MDT) of ovarian cancer is carried out, which can be applied to difficult and critical cases.

     Characteristic multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment include accurate diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary embolism of advanced ovarian cancer, evaluation of tumor load and efficacy of ovarian cancer, hilar lymph node dissection of ovarian cancer,  genetics and accurate diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, etc., which are in the international first-class and domestic leading level.

2. **Clinical Research and Translational Research**

   - The team conducts research based on clinical needs, with 80% of ovarian cancer cases being enrolled in various clinical studies.

   - A Phase III clinical study on secondary cytoreductive surgery in recurrent ovarian cancer, led by professor Rongyu Zang, was cited by the white paper of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO), and published in the top-tier journal of Lancet Oncology in 2021, presenting an innovative and pioneer clinic practice for recurrent ovarian cancer. The five-year overall survival rate for advanced ovarian cancer exceeded 50% in our center, with about 60% for patients enrolled in the clinical trials, which was much higher than the average 30% in the local (BMC Cancer 2015;15:583).

   - Our team published the first Genome-wide association study for epithelial ovarian cancer in Han Chinese women (2014 Nature Communications) and the first large-scale study for BRCA1/2 mutation screening in Chinese ovarian cancer patients (2017 Int J Cancer). The nationwide largest ovarian tumor homogenized and dynamic biobank was established in our center based on clinical research. We were also the first to set up a gynecologic oncology genetic counseling clinic in China, making clinical translation a reality.

3. **Gynecologic Cancer Prevention**

   - Established a team for cervical and endometrial lesion diagnosis and treatment in 2014.

   - In early 2015, they initiated the ovarian cancer and gynecologic cancer genetic counseling clinic, focusing on prevention, early diagnosis and treatment.

   - Created multiple cancer popular science platforms and websites.

4. **Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery**

   - They lead the way in standardizing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, including nerve-sparing surgery for cervical cancer, fertility-sparing surgery for cervical cancer, single-port laparoscopy, transvaginal single-port laparoscopy (V-NOTES), fluorescence-guided lymph node dissection, and Da Vinci robotic surgery for gynecologic oncology.

**Key Research Achievements**

   - Secondary cytoreduction followed by chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer (SOC-1): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial - Lancet Oncology in 2021

   - Participate in the 6th Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference on Clinical Research (Lancet Oncol 2022;23:e374-e384)

   - Olaparib Maintenance Monotherapy in Asian Patients with Platinum-Sensitive Relapsed Ovarian Cancer: Phase III Trial (L-MOCA) - Clinical Cancer Research in 2022

   - Host the project of the digital pathology-based approaches for the study of the tumor microenvironment under the chemotherapy pressure（supported by Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality）

**Clinical Education**

   -  Since 2016, the Asia-Pacific Ovarian Cancer Laparotomic and Laparoscopic  Operation (APOLLO) Symposium and the "Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment of Ovarian Cancer" study class (National Continuing Medical Education Project number: 2016-05-01-041 (country)) have been held every year to strengthen the systematic and standardized diagnosis and treatment of advanced ovarian cancer, and improve surgical skills and comprehensive abilities.

   -  Since 2015, first domestic senior ovarian cancer surgery training class has been held annually for doctors with associate senior title or above. So far, 12 sessions have been held, and 24 people have participated in theoretical learning, anatomy and surgical skills training. The standard diagnosis and treatment and the improvement of surgical skills can significantly improve the prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer and prolong the survival period of patients.

   - Since 2022,  "Gynecologic Cancer Prevention and Precision Management of High-Risk Populations" study class has been held annually, which focuses on frontier academic hotspots such as etiology prevention, early screening and diagnosis, standardized and precise treatment, genetic tumor counseling, and advancements in molecular testing techniques.