Life Sciences
TANG Zhaoyou
Studies on early diagnosis, early treatment, and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma
The pioneering work in the early diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)
Although
-fetoprotein was firstly discovered abroad, its value in early diagnosis of liver cancer was not determined. Tang developed the concept of "asymptomatic subclinical liver cancer", diagnosed liver cancer by dynamic analyze of serum AFP for the first time, and limited liver resection was advocated to minimize the risk of surgery for small liver cancer in a cirrhotic liver. All these innovations doubled the 5-year survival rates of the patients under curative surgery. He is also the chief editor of "Subclinical Hepatocellular Carcinoma" (in English). Because this project provided a convenient and cost-effective methods in clinical practice, it won a National Science and Technology Progress Award (first prize).
-fetoprotein was firstly discovered abroad, its value in early diagnosis of liver cancer was not determined. Tang developed the concept of "asymptomatic subclinical liver cancer", diagnosed liver cancer by dynamic analyze of serum AFP for the first time, and limited liver resection was advocated to minimize the risk of surgery for small liver cancer in a cirrhotic liver. All these innovations doubled the 5-year survival rates of the patients under curative surgery. He is also the chief editor of "Subclinical Hepatocellular Carcinoma" (in English). Because this project provided a convenient and cost-effective methods in clinical practice, it won a National Science and Technology Progress Award (first prize).Establishment of the first human liver cancer nude mice model with high metastatic potential and the development of cell lines with different metastatic potentials and targets
With the purpose of further improvement of the curative effects, Tang developed a research platform for the study of liver cancer metastasis, which is the first model of metastatic model worldwide. In view of thesis that soil (tumor microenvironment) may influence the the biologic features of seed (tumor cell), he developed 3 new technologies to create a metastatic model system which was used worldwide. Based on this model, interferon- was found, which could increase patients' survival after curative surgery. And this project won another National Science and Technology Progress Award (first prize).
Inflammation/immune microenvironment plays important role in liver cancer metastasis
This finding indicated that the microenvironment should be taken into consideration in the designing the potential interventions of liver cancer metastasis. This project won a National Prize for Natural Sciences (second prize).
Awardee:
Professor Tang is an internationally renowned liver cancer researcher and the founder for early diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. He is also one of the first academicians of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Division of Medicine and Health, honorary fellow of American Surgical Association, and honorary member of Japan Surgical Society. He is currently the chairman, professor of surgical oncology, and PhD supervisor of Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University. He had been council member of International Union against Cancer (UICC), Hepatoma Professional Committee chairman of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, vice president of the Chinese Medical Association, and president of Shanghai Medical University.
He first systematically proposed the concept of "subclinical hepatocellular carcinoma" and is the chief editor of "Subclinical Hepatocellular Carcinoma" (in English). Hans Popper, the founder of modern hepatology, praised this study by "this concept represents major progress in the understanding, and particularly the management, of hepatocellular carcinoma". The study of small liver cancer doubled the 5-year survival rate of the patients underwent curative surgery, and promoted the transformation of hepatocellular carcinoma treatment from "incurable disease" to "part-can-be-cured disease". In recent years, he further carried out "the metastasis and recurrence research of hepatocellular carcinoma". Then he established the first human liver cancer nude mice model with high metastastic potential and cell lines with different metastatic potentials and targets and successfully used it to study the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. He had been twice the Liver Cancer Conference chairman of the International Cancer Congress, more than 90 times been the invited speaker at international conferences, 7 times as the chairman hosted Shanghai International Symposium on Liver Cancer and Hepatitis. He is also the editorial board member of 11 international journals and the editor-in-chief of two journals in Asia-Pacific Region. He edited 9 monographs and participated in editing other 16 international monographs. He published 288 articles, which were cited for 6759 times; in liver cancer area, this achievement ranked No. 3 worldwide (No. 1 on the mainland, China). He was honored with a gold medal of "Early Treatment and Early Cure" from USA in 1979. In addition, he got first prize National Science and Technology Progress Award for twice, the third prize for twice, Ho Leung Ho Lee Science and Technology Progress Award, Chinese Medical Science Award, China Engineering Science and Technology Award, Wu Jieping Medical Prize, Bethune Medal, "May 1" Labor Medals, and Shanghai Science and Technology Hero. Until now, he has 59 PhD students graduated, and four of them got National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award.