Dr. Lu Shun | A Decade’s Promise and the Dawn of Hope on the Cancer Land

Lu Shun, M.D., Ph.D.

-Doctoral Supervisor, Distinguished Professor (Level II)

-Lifetime Professor, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

-Director, Shanghai Lung Cancer Clinical Medical Center

-National Outstanding Young and Middle-Aged Expert in Health with Significant Contributions (Awarded by the National Health Commission)

-Leading Talent of Shanghai

-Outstanding Academic Leader of Shanghai

-Recipient of the State Council Special Allowance

-Named in Clarivate’s 2024 “Highly Cited Researchers” List

-Ranked among the Top 2% of Global Scientists (2024 Stanford University & Elsevier Data)

Professional Leadership

        -Honorary Chairman, Lung Cancer Committee, Chinese Anti-Cancer      Association

        -Standing Council Member, Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology      (CSCO)

        -Vice Chairman, Heath-Sky Foundation

        -Former Chair, DIA China Advisory Board

        -Former President, Shanghai Medical Association Oncology Society

        -Standing Committee Member, Oncology Society of Chinese Medical      Association

        -Chairman, Lung Cancer Expert Committee (Chinese Medical      Association)

        -President, Shanghai Medical Doctor Association Oncology Branch

        -Chief Coordinator, Oncology Specialist Training Program

Editorial Roles

        -Associate Editor, Journal of Thoracic Oncology (Official  Journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer)

        -Associate Editor, Lung Cancer

Research & Grants

        -Principal Investigator, National Key R&D Program for      Chronic Diseases (Ministry of Science and Technology)

        -Lead Scientist, International Collaborative Research Projects

        -Principal Investigator, Major National New Drug Innovation      Projects

        -Lead Researcher, Two Sub-projects under the National 863      Program

        -Principal Investigator, Key and General Programs of the      National Natural Science Foundation of China

Major Awards

        -First Prize, Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award

        -First Prize, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association Science and      Technology Award

        -Second Prize, Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award

        -Second Prize, Huaxia Medical Science and Technology Award

        -First Prize, Shanghai Medical Science and Technology Award

        -2021 Shanghai Jiao Tong University President’s Award

        -2021 WuXi AppTec Life Chemistry Research Award

        -2024 DIA Global Outstanding Service Award

        -Shanghai Outstanding Specialist Physician Award (“Benevolent Healer”)

Preface

2017 · Prophecy: The Spark Beneath Ginkgo Leaves

That year, in the deep autumn of Shanghai, ginkgo leaves fluttered down along the corridors outside Shanghai Chest Hospital. In the office of Professor Lu Shun, Director of Oncology, the conversation flowed—Beethoven, Mahler, Mo Yan, Chen Zhongshi, Shen Congwen, Herta Müller.... His voice was soft but unwavering: “In ten years, Chinese physicians will be the leader in lung cancer research.”

2025 · The Answer: Triumph on a Path Paved with Gold

Eight years later, when we spoke again, his love for music and literature remained, but his words now carried a quiet confidence—not just in his department, but in the future itself. The prophecy had come true. Outside the window, ginkgo leaves still danced in the wind.

“Science has driven so much change these past years—some surprising, some deeply gratifying,” Lu reflected. “Our domestically developed savolitinib hit the market two years ahead of Novartis. The five-year survival rate for advanced EGFR-mutant patients has surged.”

Last year, Shanghai Chest Hospital’s oncology team published two landmark studies in The New England Journal of Medicine. Around the same time, Lu was named a “Highly Cited Researcher”—a testament to his global influence. In just eight years, the landscape of lung cancer research in China had been redrawn, as if rewriting the contours of mountains and rivers.

 In Lu Shun’s eyes, the progress of lung cancer treatment in China over the years has been propelled by three monumental waves.

The First Wave: National Strength and the Decoding of Genetic Secrets

“Without the support of national strength, any scientific vision is but a castle in the air. Only on such a foundation can meaningful work begin.”

Two decades ago, Chinese researchers’ early explorations into EGFR mutations were tentative—data was sparse, conclusions vague, like flickering fireflies in the dark. Today, Shanghai Chest Hospital hosts the world’s largest clinical database for lung cancer.

“EGFR mutation rates: 30–50% in East Asia, compared to just 10–15% in Europe and America. This disparity is the key to our breakthroughs—it’s where we’ve carved our niche.”

These numbers are the cipher to China’s lung cancer revolution.

The Second Wave: Technology Driving Medical Progress

“Without the explosion of biotech, targeted therapy would remain theoretical.”

Recent years have seen transformative advances in lung cancer treatment, fueled by genomics. The field has shifted from traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy to precision medicine, entering a multi-target era. Globally, 9–10 critical targets have been identified, enabling personalized and more effective therapies.

China’s progress has been particularly rapid, thanks to its booming biopharmaceutical industry. Within a decade, the country has nurtured dozens of high-tech biotech firms, achieving breakthroughs in targeted drug development, genetic testing, and immunotherapy.

Behind these achievements lies China’s rising national strength and relentless innovation—from basic research to clinical application, from drug development to market implementation. With each step, the foundation grows stronger. As more targets emerge and technology evolves, treatment will become even more precise, offering patients renewed hope.

The Third Wave: Two Decades of Apprenticeship and Metamorphosis

“For 20 years, we integrated globally, participated in international collaborations, and ultimately found our confidence.”

China’s journey in lung cancer research has evolved from followership to leadership—a transformation built on decades of knowledge accumulation, technological innovation, and global cooperation.

Over these two decades, China established its own research systems and innovation platforms. It pioneered the discovery of unique mutation profiles in Asian populations, leading to targeted drugs better suited for Chinese patients.

“This 20-year foundation has brought us to a tipping point—where accumulated knowledge now fuels leadership. As innovation accelerates, China is poised to steer global progress in lung cancer treatment, delivering ever more precise and effective solutions.”

“In the past, departments operated like isolated islands, with little communication between them. Often, multidisciplinary teamwork (MDT) only happened when a single discipline had exhausted its options. But since 2004, our oncology department at Shanghai Chest Hospital pioneered an upgraded 2.0 model. Now, when a complex case arrives, we first determine which specialty can offer the patient the greatest initial benefit before proceeding. That was revolutionary at the time. Recently, we’ve even established a ‘hybrid ward’ for patients with multi-organ metastases.”

In the hospital’s “MDT 2.0 Ward,” surgeons work with 3D reconstructions of tumors, medical oncologists analyze genomic and biochemical data, and radiation specialists map virtual target zones—all converging into a “treatment decision tree.” For late-stage lung cancer patients, time often feels like sand slipping through an hourglass. Yet Lu Shun’s team keeps rewriting the rules, slowing the flow grain by grain.

Lung cancer, particularly non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), was once a death sentence. But breakthroughs in targeted therapy and immunotherapy have rewritten its fate. In China, EGFR mutations—the most common driver mutation, present in one-third of East Asian patients—once meant a survival window of just 10–12 months. Today, with targeted drugs, that span has stretched to nearly five years. Even more striking: progression-free survival (PFS) for locally advanced cases has leapt from 5–6 months to 39.1 months.

The New England Journal of Medicine hailed these results as “closer to the cure,” a testament to China’s transformative progress. “This is monumental,” Lu notes. “Our current protocol—chemotherapy + PD-1 inhibition + surgery—achieves pathologic complete response (no detectable cancer cells) in 1 out of 4 patients. Many are now cured, a stark contrast to the chemotherapy era. These aren’t just numbers; they’re lives reclaimed.”

The Next Frontier: Tumor Board 3.0

Lu envisions AI-powered “Tumor Boards” as the future—elevating MDT to 3.0 by integrating bioinformatics. “Today’s tumor analysis requires cutting-edge computational tools to dissect molecular binding sites, metastasis pathways, and resistance mechanisms. We’re still refining this, but imagine: MDT won’t just cross specialties—it’ll drill down to the molecular level, tailoring strategies for each patient’s biology.”

“The gap now is manpower. We need more researchers trained in bioinformatics to bridge raw data and clinical decisions. Once we do, diagnostics won’t just be precise—they’ll be predictive.”

Behind the glory lie hidden challenges. To Lu Shun, China’s journey in novel cancer therapies has unfolded in three phases—each with its triumphs and trials, and the road ahead remains steep.

Phase 1: “Fast Chess in the Shadow of Giants”

“When a target was identified abroad, we raced to develop the second iteration—swiftly, precisely. This wasn’t imitation; it was building ladders on the shoulders of giants.” In those early days, Chinese studies on EGFR mutations were sparse, their conclusions tentative—like flickering fireflies in the dark. Today, Shanghai Chest Hospital hosts the world’s largest lung cancer clinical database, turning data into keys for breakthroughs.

Phase 2: “The Chinese Equation”

Innovation began to wear local colors. Take one PD-1 inhibitor therapy: by combining it with anti-angiogenic drugs and layering precision radiotherapy, Lu’s team created a “triple-arrow” approach that outperformed standalone treatments. This synergy earned national approval—and proved that China could rewrite the rules. “Science took root in the lab, bloomed in the clinic, and bore fruit in the market. Miss one step, and the tree withers.”

Phase 3: “From No-Man’s Land to Stronghold”

Now, Chinese patients access drugs before Western pharma completes Phase II trials. Yet this velocity demands balance: “True innovation must weigh scientific merit, clinical impact, and commercial viability. And beneath it all, we need parallel progress in basic science, translational research, clinical trials, and regulatory science.”

The Unfinished Climb

Lu is candid about gaps: “On a scale of research capability from 0 to 10, we’ve mastered levels 2–7. But 0–2—the realm of original discovery—still lags.” He envisions medical education breaking silos, perhaps adopting the U.S. MD-PhD model to train physician-scientists who bridge labs and bedsides. “Tomorrow’s doctors must thrive at intersections—where molecules meet stethoscopes.”

The march of medicine is always driven by the twin engines of technology and science. Breakthroughs in clinical care stem from fundamental research, while foundational discoveries fuel the biopharmaceutical industry’s progress.

“In lung cancer treatment, we stand at a new frontier. Moving forward, we must focus on two fronts: precision and minimally invasive approaches in medical oncology, and integration and innovation in surgical techniques.”

The Minimally Invasive Revolution

The future of lung cancer therapy lies in replacing radical surgeries with pinpoint interventions. Advances in targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and gene editing are transforming oncology—shifting from “major resections” to “microscopic strikes.” For instance, emerging technologies now detect microscopic lesions earlier, allowing minimally invasive treatments that reduce patient suffering and complications. Meanwhile, novel drugs expand therapeutic possibilities, boosting both survival rates and quality of life.

“In early-stage lung cancer, we’ve achieved near 100% survival rates—a milestone. But the real challenge remains late-stage disease.”

The Foundation of Survival

Currently, the 5-year survival rate for lung cancer patients at Shanghai Chest Hospital hovers between 35% and 38%. Lu Shun’s dream is to change the number to 80%.

“To reach that goal, we need leaps in basic science—genomics, proteomics, immunology—to uncover new targets and strategies. Simultaneously, China’s biopharma industry must accelerate the pipeline from lab bench to bedside, delivering innovative drugs and tools.”

The Torchbearers

The next generation of oncologists is rising, and Lu places his faith in them. He recalls his own early days as department head two decades ago: “From 2004 to 2014, we had few headline breakthroughs. But that decade of quiet groundwork made the post-2015 surge possible.”

True innovation, he observes, blooms between ages 45 and 55—the golden window of a scientist’s career. “We must give young researchers room to explore. The surprises they’ll bring could redefine lung cancer treatment.”

Editor: Qing Chen, ShanghaiDoctor.cn

If you'd like to contact to Dr. Lu Shun, Please email us with Chenqing@ShanghaiDoctor.cn. 

Origin: https://shanghaidoctor.cn/engouji/282.html