Gastrointestinal Surgery

The Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery of The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University was founded in 1957, integrating medical care, teaching, and research, and is at the forefront in Southwest China. In 2000, it was approved by the Chongqing Municipal Health Bureau as the Chongqing Gastrointestinal Surgery Disease Treatment Center; in 2012, General Surgery (including Gastrointestinal Surgery) became a National Clinical Key Specialty; in 2013, it became the Chongqing General Surgery (including liver, pancreatic, and small intestine transplantation) Medical Quality Control Center; that same year, the National Health Commission formally awarded it the title of “Chongqing Minimally Invasive Surgery Training Base.” In 2019, the Chongqing Gastrointestinal Surgery Alliance was established, with the department serving as the alliance’s chairing institution. The department is the leading unit for gastrointestinal surgery in multiple Chongqing associations, including the chairing institution of the Chongqing Anti-Cancer Association, the chair of the Surgical Management Specialized Committee of the Chongqing Hospital Association, the chairs of 3 specialized committees of the Chongqing Anti-Cancer Association (Gastric Cancer, Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors, and Peritoneal Cancer), the head of the Gastrointestinal Group of the Surgery Branch of the Chongqing Medical Association, and the chair of the Colorectal Tumor Specialized Committee of the Chongqing Medical Doctor Association. The department currently has three wards and 210 open beds, making it the largest gastrointestinal surgery diagnosis and treatment center in Chongqing, with more than 4,300 operations performed annually, more than 2,000 annual gastrointestinal tumor (gastric cancer and colorectal cancer) operations, and more than 200 annual bariatric operations, all ranking first in Chongqing; it treats more than 600 cases of benign anorectal diseases annually, and its minimally invasive surgery rate is >90%. The department’s specialized diagnosis and treatment services include: laparoscopic surgery for digestive tract tumors (gastric cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors), 3D laparoscopic surgery, da Vinci robotic minimally invasive surgery, diagnosis and treatment of difficult and complex diseases in abdominal surgery, surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, resection of giant abdominal/retroperitoneal tumors, interventional treatment of gastrointestinal tumors, minimally invasive surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux and hiatal hernia, endoscopic minimally invasive surgery of the gastrointestinal tract, comprehensive treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, standardized comprehensive treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors, gastrointestinal motility testing (esophageal manometry, esophageal PH testing, and anorectal manometry), surgical treatment of anorectal diseases, and the diagnosis and treatment of other diseases. The department has extensive experience in the early diagnosis of gastrointestinal tumors, selection of surgical procedures for gastrointestinal tumors, and low-level sphincter-preserving procedures for rectal cancer. It was the first in Chongqing to perform laparoscopic colorectal surgery and laparoscopic gastric surgery, and its sphincter-preserving rate for rectal cancer ranks among the highest in China. In 2016, our department performed Chongqing’s first laparoscopic-assisted transabdominal transanal total mesorectal excision (Ta-TME), significantly increasing the sphincter-preserving rate among patients with middle- and low-rectal cancer and opening a new chapter in ultra-low sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer in Chongqing. In 2021, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy was carried out for metastatic peritoneal cancer from gastrointestinal tumors, providing an effective treatment modality for patients with advanced tumors, including gastrointestinal tumors, gynecologic tumors, and hepatobiliary tumors, across multiple disciplines. For advanced gastric cancer, comprehensive treatment modalities including surgical treatment, interventional chemoembolization, and immunotherapy have been implemented. Based on the comprehensive treatment model, the overall conversion rate for initially unresectable gastric cancer is high, and many patients who had no opportunity for surgery when they first sought treatment achieved remission or even complete remission after conversion therapy. In 2013, Chongqing’s first specialized outpatient clinic for gastrointestinal stromal tumors was established at our hospital. In 2018, the Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Professional Committee of the Chongqing Anti-Cancer Association was established, and our department was the institution of its inaugural chair. The survival time and quality of life of nearly 1,000 gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients treated at a single center have both reached internationally leading levels. At the same time, our department was the first in Chongqing to establish an outpatient clinic for the comprehensive treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus and to establish a subspecialty direction in bariatric and metabolic surgery; it carries out surgical treatment for obesity in the Chongqing region and is especially adept at treating super-obese patients (BMI>50) with multiple complications. In 2023, it passed the review for the National Health Commission’s “Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery” Standardized Development and Quality Improvement Project (the only one in Chongqing). The Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery has an independent endoscopy center. In terms of ultra-minimally invasive surgery of the gastrointestinal tract, the endoscopy center’s technical capabilities rank among the best in Chongqing. In addition, it performs esophageal manometry, 24-hour esophageal PH testing, and anorectal manometry, providing precise testing methods for gastrointestinal motility disorders. On this basis, it carries out surgical treatment for gastroesophageal reflux and hiatal hernia, effectively addressing the difficult problems of medical treatment. For giant abdominal and retroperitoneal tumors, especially those involving surrounding organs, most hospitals regard them as a contraindication to surgery; since 2010, our department has performed approximately 400 such abdominal and retroperitoneal giant tumor resections, reaching a domestically leading level. The department currently has 37 doctors, including 13 professors, 9 associate professors, 2 doctoral supervisors, 15 master’s supervisors, 15 doctors with doctoral degrees, 8 postdoctoral fellows, and 9 with overseas study experience; the department has the authority to confer master’s and doctoral degrees. It is the chief editor of the national-level 5+3 textbook “Diseases of the Digestive System”; over the past 5 years, it has obtained 6 national-level continuing education projects and 10 municipal-level projects and has published multiple teaching papers. Over the past 5 years, it has obtained a total of 28 research projects, with cumulative funding of 9.45 million, including 3 National Natural Science Foundation projects and 25 various Chongqing municipal projects. Over the past 5 years, it has published more than 150 SCI papers, including 2 papers with impact factors above 10 and 24 papers with impact factors above 5. It has also participated in multiple clinical RCT studies, participated in 17 clinical studies, and has 10 ongoing; among these, 4 are Phase I studies. It holds 8 new invention and utility model patents. The department has reached a leading level in Southwest China in minimally invasive surgery for gastrointestinal tumors, robotic surgery, the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors, multidisciplinary MDT diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer, and surgery for metabolic diseases. By organizing international academic conferences, minimally invasive surgery roadshows and training, live surgical broadcasts, and other activities, it receives more than 20 healthcare professionals from various regions across the country for further training each year, strengthening its regional outreach role.