Liver Disease

The Department of Hepatology of Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was established in the 1950s and has successively been selected for such projects as the National Regional TCM Medical Center, National Clinical Key Specialty, National TCM Clinical Research Base, Key Discipline (Specialty) of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Top-Priority Clinical Medical Center, and the “13th Five-Year Plan” Shanghai Clinical Key Specialty (Revitalizing the Leading Specialty Project), among others. It ranked first consecutively in the hepatology specialty in the specialty rankings of the China Association of Chinese Medicine in 2021 and 2022.

The Department of Hepatology innovatively proposed that the key pathogenesis of the progression from hepatitis to cirrhosis to liver cancer is “deficiency of the spleen and kidney as the root, and dampness-heat, stasis, and toxin as the branch, ” and established staged TCM treatment regimens and distinctive TCM herbal formulas to block the progression of liver disease. It developed marketed drugs and hospital preparations, including Batu Bushen Granules (for various liver diseases), Fuzheng Huayu Capsules and Rougan Granules (for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis), Shijun Granules (for hepatic encephalopathy), and Shenge Granules (for fatty liver). By leading multiple clinical projects, including national science and technology research projects, the department has demonstrated that TCM has good clinical efficacy in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, increasing the clinical cure rate of chronic hepatitis B, reversing liver fibrosis/cirrhosis, reducing the progression of macronodular cirrhosis to liver cancer, reducing recurrence after radical liver cancer surgery, and prolonging the survival of patients with middle- and late-stage liver cancer. It ranks among the domestic leaders in research on the clinical efficacy and mechanisms of TCM in blocking the occurrence and development of the “hepatitis-cirrhosis-liver cancer” disease process.

The Department of Hepatology adheres to giving equal emphasis to Chinese and Western medicine and carries out advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies including hepatic arterial intervention for liver cancer, radiofrequency and microwave ablation, esophageal and gastric fundal variceal ligation for cirrhosis, liver biopsy in difficult cases, and artificial liver treatment. It also carries out distinctive traditional TCM treatments such as thread embedding, umbilical acupuncture, and acupoint application, providing patients with viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis and related complications (ascites, jaundice, hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy, and others), liver cancer, autoimmune liver disease, drug-induced liver injury, alcoholic liver disease, difficult liver diseases, and others with optimal integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment. It currently has 150 beds; in 2022, the number of discharges was 8,770 person-times, and the number of outpatient visits exceeded 200,000 person-times.

In the past 5 years, it has led 5 National Science and Technology Major Projects, 47 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects, published more than 300 papers in core journals and 75 SCI papers, including 7 papers with IF >10 points and 3 papers in Gut. It took the lead in formulating 7 expert consensuses, industry guidelines, and industry and national standards, among others. It has 9 books and served as editor-in-chief of 2 planning textbooks. It has applied for 16 patents (including 1 international patent), of which 10 have been granted, and has completed the transfer of 3 achievements. It has received 13 national-, provincial-, and ministerial-level awards.

The team includes 1 recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 3 National Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talent Program awardees, 1 recipient of the National Natural Science Foundation of China Excellent Young Scientists Fund, 7 recipients of special government allowances, 3 chairs of national-level professional committees, 1 Qihuang Scholar, 3 National Outstanding TCM Clinical Talents, 6 Shanghai Famous TCM Physicians, 5 Shanghai Leading Talents, 4 Shanghai Outstanding Academic Leaders, 5 Shanghai Shuguang Scholars, 6 Shanghai Science and Technology Qiming Stars, 2 recipients of the Shanghai Chenguang Program, and 4 recipients of the Shanghai Silver Snake Award.