China's Top Departments: Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou)

For readers in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and worldwide: if you or a loved one is facing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) — the tumor unusually common in South China and Southeast Asia, sometimes called the "Canton tumor" — the Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) in Guangzhou is one of the most experienced centers on earth.

About the Hospital

Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) was founded in March 1964. Also known as the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and the SYSU Cancer Institute, it is one of the largest and most academically accomplished comprehensive cancer centers in China, and one of the four earliest-established cancer hospitals in the country. In the Fudan Institute of Hospital Management's 2023 China Hospital Rankings, the Center is rated A+++ overall and ranks No. 2 nationwide in the Oncology specialty ranking; it has repeatedly received the highest grade (A) for specialized cancer hospitals in China's national tertiary public hospital performance assessment.

• Grade: Tertiary (Class A) specialized hospital for oncology; Fudan 2023 overall rating A+++
• Academic platforms: National Key Discipline (Oncology); State Key Laboratory of South China Malignant Tumor Prevention and Treatment; National New Drug (Anticancer Drug) Clinical Trial Research Center; a designated hub for building the Guangdong International Cancer Medical Center
• Scale: Two campuses in operation (Yuexiu and Huangpu; Tianhe campus under construction), with 2,245 beds; 2.558 million outpatient/emergency visits and 222,000 inpatient admissions per year — among the highest volumes of any specialized cancer hospital in China
• Expertise: 3 Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 3 Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 47 national-level talents; 231 doctoral supervisors and 334 master's supervisors
• International services: The SYSUCC International Medical Center opened in July 2026; the Center is a sister institution of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for oncology) and collaborates with the Karolinska Institute (Sweden), the University of Warwick (UK), the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Erasmus MC (the Netherlands). It has been a WHO Collaborating Centre for Cancer Research since 1980
• International academic standing: Ranked No. 1 in China for oncology in the 2023 China Hospital STEM rankings; ranked 5th among cancer centers worldwide in the 2024 Nature Index. It publishes the English-language journal Cancer Communications (impact factor 24.9, JCR Oncology Q1)

About the Department

The Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma is one of SYSUCC's signature specialties and a Guangdong Provincial "Five Ones Project" Key Department. Since its founding in 1964, the Center has made NPC a central research and treatment target. Generations of physicians have built it into one of the most important NPC diagnosis, treatment and research centers in China and the world.

The Department focuses on the comprehensive prevention and treatment of NPC, covering epidemiological investigation, early diagnosis, radiotherapy, drug therapy, surgery and psychological rehabilitation. Patients are given stage-specific (TNM-based) multidisciplinary treatment to improve outcomes and reduce complications.

• Team: 24 senior physicians, including 8 doctoral supervisors and 12 master's supervisors
• Scale: 148 beds, with a laboratory, serum bank and fiberoptic endoscopy suite
• Historical milestones: In 1962, founding director Prof. Liang Boqiang first proposed an international histopathological classification of NPC; in 1992, the "92 staging system" for NPC was named by the Chinese Society of Radiation Oncology; in 2002, a familial susceptibility gene for NPC was identified and published in Nature Genetics

Academic Standing and Accreditations

• Fudan specialty ranking: No. 2 nationwide in Oncology (2023 China Hospital Rankings)
• Science and Technology Impact (STEM): No. 1 in China for oncology (2023)
• Guideline influence: Over the past five years, more than 92 research findings from the front line of clinical care have been adopted by global cancer treatment standards and guidelines; in NPC, multiple findings have been incorporated into NCCN, ESMO and ASCO guidelines
• International academic roles: SYSUCC experts serve as President-elect of the International NPC Gordon Conference, core members of the American AJCC NPC Staging Committee, and members of the ASCO Scientific Review Committee
• Awards: As first institution, SYSUCC has received 76 provincial/ministerial or higher research awards, including 2 National Natural Science Awards (Second Class) and 6 National Science and Technology Progress Awards (Second Class)

Core Technologies and Signature Treatments

1. Definitive radiotherapy for NPC (core specialty) — NPC is radiosensitive, and radiotherapy is its definitive treatment. SYSUCC operates a radiotherapy center with Asia-leading equipment and was an early adopter of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), offering better target conformity, dose coverage and normal-tissue protection. Its NPC 5-year survival is at internationally advanced levels
2. Precision radiotherapy "toxicity-reduction" technique — internationally leading — A prospective randomized phase III trial led by Prof. Ma Jun's team (568 patients) pioneered sparing of the medial group of retropharyngeal lymph nodes, significantly reducing dysphagia and other side effects without compromising tumor control. It is expected to benefit 99% of NPC patients, and was published in The BMJ in 2023
3. Induction chemotherapy "efficacy-boosting" regimen — reshaping international guidelines — The TPF regimen (docetaxel + cisplatin + 5-FU) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy, led by Prof. Ma Jun across 10 centers, raised 3-year overall survival from 86% to 92% and 3-year disease-free survival from 72% to 80% (Lancet Oncology). A related 2012 study changed the European EHNS-ESMO-ESTRO guidelines and the U.S. NCCN guidelines
4. AI-enabled precision radiotherapy — The team of Profs. Sun Ying and Zhou Guanqun reported AI-based NPC radiotherapy planning that produces a plan in 3.5 minutes ("faster and better")
5. Minimally invasive surgery for recurrent/residual NPC — Various surgical approaches for selected recurrent cases; endoscopic surgery to differentiate and treat post-radiotherapy sinus inflammation; endoscopic microwave coagulation for residual or recurrent disease
6. Individualized multidisciplinary care — In 1998, SYSUCC was the first in China to introduce a single-disease chief expert responsibility system, with MDT protocols for major cancers and stage-specific individualized treatment
7. Novel drug therapy (chemotherapy/targeted/immunotherapy) — An NPC study showing a >20% improvement in 2-year survival for metastatic NPC was published in JAMA Oncology

Expert Team

• Prof. Ma Jun: Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2023); Executive Deputy Director and Executive Vice President of SYSUCC; Chief Expert in NPC. President-elect of the International NPC Gordon Conference, core member of the AJCC NPC Staging Committee. Three-time first-author recipient of the National Science and Technology Progress Award (Second Class)
• Prof. Sun Ying: Deputy Director of the Center and Vice President; Chief Expert in NPC; specializes in radiotherapy and comprehensive treatment of head-and-neck tumors. National May 1st Labor Medal recipient
• Prof. Mai Haiqiang: Director of the Nasopharyngeal Department; Chief Expert in NPC; National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholar recipient. More than 100 SCI papers as corresponding author (including Nature Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology); 5 findings adopted by NCCN/ASCO guidelines

Conditions Treated (reference for international patients)

• Newly diagnosed NPC (all stages) — comprehensive treatment and definitive radiotherapy
• Locoregionally advanced NPC — induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy
• Recurrent/residual NPC — radiotherapy, minimally invasive surgery and endoscopic treatment
• Metastatic NPC — chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy
• Post-radiotherapy sequelae (radiation otitis media, sinus inflammation, dysphagia) — evaluation and management
• Early screening and risk assessment for high-risk individuals (family history, EBV-related testing)

Address and Contact

• Yuexiu Campus (main): No. 651 Dongfeng East Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China — easily reached from Hong Kong West Kowloon by high-speed rail
• Huangpu Campus: No. 1 Kaiyang 5th Road, Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, Huangpu District, Guangzhou
• Website: www.sysucc.org.cn
• International services: SYSUCC International Medical Center (opened July 2026), offering one-stop services for international patients

For a quick overview, see the SYSUCC nasopharyngeal carcinoma department page.

This information is compiled from the official website of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center and public reports. It is for reference only; the hospital's latest official information shall prevail.