Shen Baiyong’s Pancreatic Cancer Innovation Studio in Shanghai, China

Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Treatment in China

“We want to uncover the ultimate laws governing the true occurrence and development of pancreatic cancer and completely transform the treatment outcomes for the ‘king of cancers’!” Despite the cold, damp winter in Shanghai, Shen Baiyong emerged from the conference room wearing a short-sleeved surgical gown, exuding a warm and scholarly demeanor while radiating ambition, like a “warrior” ready to charge into the operating room at any moment. The conversation began with the American Pancreatic Association Annual Meeting that concluded in December of the previous year.

Shen Baiyong led a team of over 20 members from the Pancreatic Surgery Department of Ruijin Hospital to attend and was invited to deliver a speech. His latest research on “Artificial Intelligence Assisting Multi-Omics Molecular Mechanisms of Pancreatic Cancer” received enthusiastic responses. Based on traditional carbon-based omics analysis, we introduced the concept of silicon-based technology, using AI to perform big data analysis on 1.22 million parameters from omics and metabolism.

The ultimate goal is to decode the ultimate formula of pancreatic cancer and turn this terminal disease into one with hope,” he said excitedly. In the future, life sciences will surely move toward computational sociology. The team’s new project in collaboration with the National Artificial Intelligence Laboratory aims to unlock the molecular behavioral laws of pancreatic cancer through AI.

Pic: Dr Shen Baiyong’s Pancreatic Cancer Specialist in China

Shen Baiyong’s Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Craftsman Innovation Studio, Ruijin Hospital, is affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The pursuit of extreme meticulousness and precision in surgery by surgeons aligns with the spirit of craftsmanship.

However, the spirit of craftsmanship is not just about striving for perfection but also about putting patients first. Shen Baiyong explained, “We established the craftsman studio to cater to patient needs.”  Patients may initially come for his reputation, but after receiving treatment at the studio, they ultimately trust the

entire team’s capabilities. He admitted that with only half a day of outpatient clinics per week, he cannot meet the needs of a large number of patients. The studio, however, brings together outstanding team members, with outpatient services available every working day. He reviews and oversees all admitted patients, personally performing surgeries for difficult cases to ensure every patient receives high-level diagnostic and treatment services.

Precision: Full-Cycle Management Transforms Treatment Outcomes

“Why is pancreatic cancer the ‘king of cancers’? Because it has an insidious onset and extremely low early diagnosis rates—80% of cases are already advanced upon detection, often recurring six months after surgery, making it extremely dangerous,” Shen Baiyong said. Improving the cure rate requires critical early screening. The researchers are establishing two early screening models for high-risk groups: one model is a cohort study of permanent residents in Huangpu District, and the other model uses the self-developed “Pancreatic Health” APP to identify high-risk individuals.

Pic: Shen Baiyong’s Pancreatic Cancer Innovation & Craftsmanship Studio

Users can self-assess their risk through questionnaires on the app. Currently, nearly 40,000 users have registered, and over 1,000 high-risk users have been included in follow-up observations.” To improve early diagnosis rates, the Ruijin Pancreatic Center has developed an early screening kit for pancreatic cancer, which detects the disease 3 to 6 months earlier than the traditional CA19-9 marker. Our goal is to increase the early diagnosis rate of pancreatic cancer from 20% to 50%.” He believes pancreatic cancer is a systemic disease: surgery can solve part of the problem but not the root cause.

Ruijin’s personalized precision treatment, multidisciplinary collaboration, full-life-cycle management, and one-stop care services are transforming treatment outcomes. From early screening and precise diagnosis to surgery, postoperative rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up, every link is interconnected and indispensable.

Pancreatic Cancer Patient Cure Story

During a physical examination, Ms. Li, 56, received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer with a 5mm tumor and no metastases. Following the team’s evaluation, they performed a Da Vinci robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery to successfully resect the pancreatic body and tail.

The patient entered a rapid rehabilitation management phase and was discharged smoothly within a week. She continued to receive adjuvant chemotherapy and follow-up under the full-life-cycle management system, with no recurrence or metastases six months post-surgery. “We aim to achieve the best curative effect with minimal trauma, allowing patients to recover quickly after surgery.”

In Shen Baiyong’s view, improving the efficiency of pancreatic cancer treatment requires addressing three core issues: “First, determining the optimal treatment pathway— should chemotherapy be administered before surgery? What chemotherapy drugs to use? We have a Ruijin standard.”

The team was the first to develop a way to analyze the different molecules in pancreatic cancer worldwide, which can clearly identify how well the cancer responds to chemotherapy and forecast the success of additional treatments, leading to more tailored and effective care.

The second is minimally invasive surgery, a signature and strength of Shen Baiyong’s team. “The smaller the surgical trauma, the stronger the patient’s immunity, and the faster the recovery.” The team has performed over 3,000 robotic pancreatic minimally invasive surgeries, including more than 2,000 malignant tumors, ranking first in China and second worldwide. They also pioneered two robotic surgical techniques and maintain the largest sample size to date. We internationally established the learning curve for robotic pancreatic surgery, providing a reference for standardizing and promoting robotic surgery.