Radiation Oncology

The Department of Radiation Oncology of SYSUCC is a leading radiation center in Asia with the highest volume, the most advanced techniques, and the most comprehensive facility. It consists of four medical divisions, Radiation Oncology, Radiation Physics, Radiation Treatment and Radiation Nursing Division. The department has 354 faculty members and staff, including 80 Radiation Oncologists, 44 Medical Physicists/Dosimetrists/Engineers, 107 Radiation Therapists, 102 Nurses and others.

The Department of Radiation Oncology was first founded in 1964. At present, more than 12,000 patients receive medical care in the department each year, covering various malignancies of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and other head and neck cancers, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, gynecologic cancer, rectal cancer, and lymphoma, etc. As an international leading unit of clinical practice and scientific research on nasopharyngeal cancer, our department diagnosed and treated over 4,000 nasopharyngeal cancer cases annually.

The department runs the largest radiation treatment center in Asia, equipped with 13 linear accelerators with integrated online computed tomography, two CT and one MR stimulator, and 70 treatment planning systems. Routinely used radiation techniques include emerging technologies such as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), tomotherapy and high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Over 92% of patients receive precise radiation treatment (image-guided IMRT/VMAT/SBRT). A modern digital information system--Mosaiq Integrated Platform (MIP) was developed in the department to integrate the functions of radiation prescription, charging, chart checking and documentation, which brings a remarkable degree of optimization to the medical quality and workflow routine.

The Department also takes the responsibility of educating undergraduates and postgraduates from Sun Yat-sen University medical college. We work with the department of medical technology and information science of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, to train radiation therapists and offer clinical observership opportunities for domestic medical workers. Since May 2015, the annual Guangzhou radiation oncology forum, hosted by our department, has become a bridge for promoting international communications and cooperation.

Since 2002, the Department has received more than 240 research grants (over 400 million RMB), including funds from the National 863 program and the National Natural Science Foundation. Over 1,200 academic works of the department have been published and awarded numerous prizes, including second prize at the National Scientific and Technological Progress Awards and first prize of the Chinese medical association awards.

Radiation Oncology Division
Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by causing damage to the cancer cell's chromosomes and DNA with the manipulation of targeted high-energy beams. Above 70% of cancer patients are referred for radiation therapy, alone or as part of a multimodality treatment. A radiation oncologist is a doctor specializing in the management of cancer using radiation therapy as the main modality of treatment. The clinical practice is performed based on the division of three medical sections.

Specialists
Head & Neck/Nasopharynx Section
Jun Ma, M.D., Professor and PhD Supervisor, Vice President of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Ying Sun, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and PhD Supervisor, Vice President of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Fei Han, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and PhD Supervisor, Vice Director of Department
Tai-Xiang Lu, M.D., Professor and PhD Supervisor
Yun-Fei Xia, M.D., Professor and PhD Supervisor
Fang-Yun Xie, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and PhD Supervisor
Li-Xia Lu, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and PhD Supervisor
Ling-Long Tang, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and PhD Supervisor
Yong Su, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and PhD Supervisor
Yan-Ping Mao, M.D., Ph.D, Associate Professor and PhD Supervisor
Shao-Xiong Wu, M.D., Professor and Master Supervisor
Ying Huang, M.D., Ph.D, Associate Professor and Master Supervisor
Wei-Han Hu, M.D., Professor and Master Supervisor
Wei Luo, M.D., Professor and Master Supervisor
Jian-Ming Gao, M.D., Ph.D, Associate Professor

Chest/Breast Section
Hui Liu, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and PhD Supervisor, Vice Director of Department
Meng-Zhong Liu, M.D., Professor and PhD Supervisor
Huan-Xin Lin, M.D., Professor and PhD Supervisor
Ling Cai, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and Master Supervisor
Zhen-Yu He, M.D., Professor and Master Supervisor
Yong-Hong Hu, M.D., Professor
Qun Li, M.D., Professor
Feng-Yan Li, M.D., Associate Professor and Master Supervisor
Mian Xi, M.D., Ph.D, Associate Professor and Master Supervisor
Qiao-Qiao Li, M.D., Ph.D, Associate Professor

Abdomen/Pelvis Section
Yuan-Hong Gao, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and PhD Supervisor, Vice Director of Department
Xin-Ping Cao, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and Master Supervisor
Yu-Jing Zhang, M.D., Ph.D, Professor and Master Supervisor
Kai Chen, M.D., Professor
Wei-Wei Xiao, M.D., Ph.D, Associate Professor and Master Supervisor
Li-Ru He, M.D., Ph.D, Associate Professor and Master Supervisor
Zhi-Fan Zeng, M.D., Associate Professor
Wei-Jun Ye, M.D., Ph.D, Associate Professor and Master Supervisor
Hong-Ying Liu, M.D., Associate Professor

Radiation Physics Division
Medical Physics is a branch of Applied Physics, pursued by medical physicists, that uses physics' principles, methods and techniques in practice and research for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases with a specific goal of improving human health and well-being. A medical physicist of radiotherapy is a professional who applies both physics and medicine technologies to plan radiation treatment, as well as ensuring quality services and prevention of risks to patients, and members of the public in general. A medical physicist plays a fundamental role in applying physics to medicine, but particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Specialists
Physics GROUP
Xiaowu Deng, Professor and PhD Supervisor, Vice Director of Department
Xiaoyan Huang, Associate Professor, Vice Director of Department
Shaomin Huang, Associate Professor, Head of Physics Group
Zhenyu Qi, Professor and PhD Supervisor
Lixin Chen, Associate Professor and PhD Supervisor
Li Zhang, Associate Professor
Jie Lu, Associate Professor
Xin Yang, Assistant Professor and Master Supervisor
Jinhan Zhu, Assistant Professor and Master Supervisor
Engineering GROUP
Guangwen Luo, Associate Professor, Head of Engineering Group
Kunyi Zhang, Associate Professor
Chunguang Zhang, Associate Professor

Radiation Treatment Division
Radiation Therapists (RTTs) work with radiation oncologists and medical physicists, by operating a series of radiotherapy equipment and auxiliary devices to design and implement the radiation treatment plan for cancer patients under the doctor’s prescription. This work generally includes immobilization, localization, simulation, treatment delivery, health education and psychological intervention.

Specialists
Chengguang Lin, Professor, Chief Radiation Therapist
Jianhua Wu, Associate Professor
Feng Chi, Associate Professor

Radiation Nursing Division
Nurses in the radiation oncology department deliver a comprehensive range of healthcare services. By collaborating with multidisciplinary members of medical staff, nurses provide patient centered and individually customized care to cancer patients undergoing different types of radiotherapy treatments. Nurses contribute to the management of  radiotherapy through extensive efforts including nursing coordination of radiation treatment, observation and care of adverse events, maintenance of the central venous catheter, nutrition support of cancer patients, cancer pain management, hospice care, and patient education. Evidence based nursing and safe treatment according to protocols are provided to promote the physical, psychological, and social well-being of cancer patients.

Specialists
Huixia Feng, RN. and Associate Professor, Chief Nurse of Department
Suping Guo, RN. and Associate Professor, Chief Nurse of Abdomen/Pelvis Section
Xinglan Zhang, RN. and Associate Professor, Chief Nurse of Chest/Breast Section
Lianying Hu, RN. and Associate Professor, Chief Nurse of H&N/Nasopharynx Section
Miaoqing Mai, RN. Associate Professor
DanDan He, RN. Associate Professor

Updated September 2020