Medical Oncology

1. Discipline Overview

The oncology specialty of Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital was established in 1963 and was one of the earliest institutions in China to establish an oncology specialty. In 1995, it was granted authorization to confer master's degrees by the State Council; in 1997, it was approved as a provincial key discipline for development; in 2006, two Varian linear accelerator systems meeting internationally advanced standards were introduced; in 2010, it was granted authorization to confer doctoral degrees; and in 2012, the Shandong Provincial Health Department approved the establishment of an Oncology Center, which began providing comprehensive tumor treatment through multidisciplinary collaboration (MDT). The Cancer Hospital of Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital was established in September 2014. In August 2015, the hospital's third new Varian linear accelerator system was put into use. It has now become a comprehensive cancer diagnosis and treatment center with a complete range of disciplines and strong technical capabilities. It currently has 320 beds in operation, 56 medical staff members, 54 nursing staff members, and 18 technical staff members. In the two years since the establishment of the Cancer Hospital of Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital, the discipline has made progress; in 2015, three department members were named Qingdao Outstanding Medical Experts. One was elected chair-elect of the Cancer Rehabilitation and Palliative Care Branch of the Shandong Anti-Cancer Association. In 2015-2016, the department published more than 30 SCI papers. The department served as chief editor of «Concise Tutorial in Radiation Oncology» (Military Medical Science Press). The Oncology Teaching and Research Section trained 8 doctoral graduates and more than 50 master's graduates. Two staff members received advanced training at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States. The department organized multiple academic conferences both within and outside the province and regularly held patient education sessions and free medical consultations. It hosted oncology experts from the United States and Germany on many occasions for academic discussions and lectures in the department. As a national-level demonstration ward for standardized cancer pain treatment, it received peers from inside and outside the province for visits and exchanges on many occasions.

To further advance the discipline and fully leverage the distinctive strengths of radiotherapy, under the hospital's unified arrangements, in 2015 the Department of Oncology was divided into two independently operating tertiary disciplines, the Department of Radiotherapy and the Department of Chemotherapy,

The Oncology Chemotherapy Department, as a tertiary discipline, includes four wards: Chemotherapy Ward 1, Chemotherapy Ward 2, and Chemotherapy Ward 3 of the Shibei Campus, and Chemotherapy Ward 4 of the Laoshan Campus.

2. Talent Structure

The Oncology Chemotherapy Department has a strong talent base and has developed into a high-level clinical, teaching, and research group headed by a professional academic leader and supported by a large number of highly qualified young and middle-aged technical professionals as its backbone, with a full range of specialties. The discipline currently has 23 full-time physicians, including 12 with doctoral degrees and 7 with master's degrees; personnel with master's degrees or above account for 98.3%; there are 7 holders of senior professional titles, 11 of associate senior professional titles, 1 doctoral supervisor, and 4 master's supervisors. The talent echelon is well structured, and the academic leader is in the prime of their career; the position is held by a person with a doctoral degree and a senior professional title who is widely recognized in the relevant academic field for high academic attainments and outstanding achievements and who is capable of leading the discipline to achieve its predetermined goals. Its overall strength ranks among the most advanced in the province, and it enjoys a high reputation among domestic peers.

3. Specialty Features of the Wards

(1) Chemotherapy Ward 1, Shibei Campus

The ward follows the principles of comprehensive tumor treatment, with comprehensive treatment of thoracic tumors as its distinctive area of development, and has distinctive strengths in chemotherapy, targeted therapy, cellular immunotherapy, and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment for lung cancer and breast cancer. It has undertaken standardized comprehensive treatment for lung cancer, breast cancer, gastrointestinal tumors, and head and neck tumors, as well as palliative supportive treatment for advanced tumors. Its level of comprehensive treatment for lung cancer and breast cancer leads the province. The standardized treatment and nursing support provided in its pain-free ward for cancer patients are at a leading level in China. In recent years, the department has undertaken multiple provincial-, ministerial-, departmental-, and municipal-level research projects and published dozens of academic papers in domestic and international specialty journals, including more than 10 indexed in SCI; it has received 4 provincial- and municipal-level science and technology awards, and 2 members serve as deputy chairpersons and standing committee members of professional societies at the provincial and municipal levels.

(2) Chemotherapy Ward 2, Shibei Campus

The ward has 76 beds, including VIP beds and general beds. It emphasizes comprehensive tumor treatment and provides chemotherapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy, and biologic targeted therapy for malignant tumors such as lung cancer, digestive tract tumors, and gynecologic tumors. Its technical specialties are standardized treatment of gastric cancer, standardized treatment of colorectal cancer, and standardized treatment of cancer pain. As a clinical pharmacology trial base for oncology, it widely conducts clinical practice involving new chemotherapy drugs, targeted therapy drugs, and new therapies. As a member of the multidisciplinary treatment teams for gastric cancer and colorectal cancer, it actively explores multidisciplinary collaborative treatment models for cancer patients and has initiated clinical pathway work for postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer and colon cancer. It established a “Demonstration Ward for Standardized Cancer Pain Treatment,” one of the first batch designated by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, and set up a specialized outpatient clinic for cancer pain. Recently, the department launched the project “Hyperthermic Chemotherapy for Malignant Pleural and Peritoneal Effusions,” with significant efficacy. In recent years, the department has undertaken more than 10 national-, provincial-, ministerial-, departmental-, and municipal-level research projects, served as chief editor or contributor to more than 10 medical monographs, and published more than 40 academic papers in domestic and international specialty journals, including more than 20 indexed in SCI; it has received nearly 10 science and technology awards, and many members serve as committee members of national societies and as chairpersons, deputy chairpersons, and standing committee members of provincial and municipal professional societies.

(3) Chemotherapy Ward 3, Shibei Campus

The ward has 42 beds, including VIP beds and general beds. The team comprises 6 physicians, including 1 chief physician and 3 deputy chief physicians; 1 holds a doctoral degree and 4 hold master's degrees; the nursing team has 10 members. The department's professional focus is comprehensive treatment of gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, thymic tumors, and lymphoma. Its specialty features standardized, individualized, and precision treatment of tumors. Using the latest diagnostic and treatment technologies, it rationally applies surgery, chemotherapy, conformal intensity-modulated radiotherapy, hyperthermia, biotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, and other techniques, thereby improving tumor diagnosis and treatment. It actively advocates multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment; for every patient, intra-departmental and hospital-wide multidisciplinary consultations are organized to formulate the optimal treatment plan. It places emphasis on exchanges with domestic and international peers and participates in multiple international and domestic clinical trials, mainly involving liver cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer. It undertakes multiple national- and provincial/municipal-level research projects and has received multiple provincial- and municipal-level awards

(4) Chemotherapy Ward 4, Laoshan Campus

The ward currently has 2 chief physicians, 6 personnel with doctoral degrees, and 4 with master's degrees. With precision diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors as its distinctive feature, the ward conducts molecular targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and individualized precision chemotherapy guided by genetic testing. It focuses primarily on lung cancer and gastrointestinal malignancies such as gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and pancreatic cancer. On the basis of precision diagnosis and treatment, it vigorously applies molecular diagnostic technologies such as high-throughput sequencing and ctDNA testing and conducts in-depth research into early screening for malignant tumors and identification of potential therapeutic targets. Specific directions include: Early screening for malignant tumors and hereditary cancer counseling: Through testing for cancer susceptibility genes, combined with advanced imaging techniques such as low-dose CT scanning, it detects common malignant tumors such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and gastrointestinal cancers at an early stage, reducing cancer incidence. Molecular targeted therapy for malignant tumors: Using technologies and programs such as genetic testing for personalized treatment, noninvasive circulating tumor DNA testing, and digital PCR, it administers molecular targeted drugs according to the test results, substantially improving the treatment efficacy of advanced malignant tumors. Clinical trials, research and development, and translation of new antitumor drugs: Relying on the hospital's national-level GCP platform and the team's technical strengths and research background, it actively participates in international multicenter clinical trials of new antitumor drugs. Trial projects include molecular targeted therapy drugs, immunotherapy drugs, new chemotherapy drugs, and others.

4. Patient Visit Guide

Outpatient Department, Shinan Campus: 3rd Floor, Outpatient Building

Laoshan Campus: 2nd Floor, Outpatient Building

Shibei Campus: 1st Floor, Outpatient Building

Inpatient Wards, Shibei Campus: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Floors

Laoshan Campus: 10th Floor, Ward Building

(2) Consultation Telephone Numbers

Laoshan Campus: 82913271

Shibei Campus: 82912759