The Road of A Medical Worker: Deeply Delved into the Anti-Cancer Treatment for Four Decades, Safeguarding Reassurance and Health Without Changing the Original Spirit
The medical career of Professor Li Zhiping has always synchronised with the cause of China’s oncology radiation therapies. In 1984, Professor Li Zhiping has graduated from the First Clinical Medical College, West China University of Medical Sciences (now as West China Hospital, Sichuan University), receiving a Bachelor of Medicine. Since then, Prof. Li has been rooted in the Oncology Center of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, beginning a professional career in specilising in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors, academic teaching, and scientific researches. During his career, he has never stopped learning and improving himself, and studied and obtained a master’s degree in Oncology, and a Doctor of Medicine in Oncology from Sichuan University, finishing an overall growth from a clinical doctor to an academic disciplinary leader.
From April to October in 1995, Professor Li Zhiping has visited the United States and Germany for advanced trainings, where he has systematically mastered the international frontier radiation therapies technologies including linear accelerator radiation therapy, and stereotactic radiation therapy, etc. Thus, he has become one of the experts in China who has quite early come into touch with and promoted precise radiation therapies technologies. After returning China, Prof. Li has combined global advanced technologies with domestic clinical practices, pushing for the normalisation and precise development of the radiation therapies technologies for abdominal tumors in West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Therefore, he has grown into a disciplinary leader in abdominal tumors in a down-to-earth manner.
For over four decades, Professor Li Zhiping has always persevered in the clinical frontline, engaging in the comprehensive treatment of the radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and biological therapy of malignant tumors for a long term. He has witnessed and promoted the leapfrog development of the radiation therapies for oncology in China from conventional radiation therapies to precise radiation therapies. Prof. Li has kindled the hopes of life for inummerable cancer patients with all he has learned in his entire life, and he has received the silk banners and thank-you letters from the patients for many times.
Profound Clinical Engagement: Precise Radiation Therapies Empower Oncology Treatment, Comprehensively Treating and Tackling Clinal Challenges
As a senior physician in the field of precise radiotherapies for the treatment of abdominal tumors in China, Professor Li Zhiping has always been rooted in the clinical demands. With the core philosophy as “Precise treatment, individualised healthcare, and whole-process management”, Professor Li Zhiping has deeply integrated the internationally frontier radiotherapies technologies with the multi-disciplinary comprehensive treatment (MDT) model, forming a unique abdominal tumors diagnosis and treatment system. Prof. Li Zhiping has taken the lead to promote multiple precise radiotherapies including three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, image-guided radiotherapy, and stereotactic radiotherapy in the Southwest China region. Meanwhile, he is proficient in applying auxiliary technologies such as respiratory gating and image fusion, etc. While guaranteeing sufficient irradiation to tumor target volume, Prof. Li Zhiping will protect the normal tissues and organs of patients to the largest degree, thus evidently lowering the adverse reactions related to radiotherapies. In the end, the treatment tolerance and life quality of each patient has been obviously enhanced.
In clinical diagnosis and treatment, Prof. Li Zhiping is adept at using the combined therapies of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for the treatment of malignant abdominal tumors including esophageal tumor, gastric tumor, colorectal tumor, and urogenital system tumors. Meanwhile, Prof. Li Zhiping has accumulated extensive clinical experiences in the fields of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for the treatment of head and neck tumors and breast cancer. Professor Li Zhiping has formulated individualised whole-process management solution featuring “radiotherapy+chemotherapy+targeted therapy+immunotherapy+nutrition support” targeting different types of tumors, different staging, and different physical conditions of patients. Especially, the above solution has achieved significant efficacies in the fields of preoperative conversion therapy for borderline resectable abdominal tumors, palliative symptomatic treatment for advanced tumors, and the sensitization therapy for radioresistant tumors. Having been in this profession for more than 40 years, Prof. Li Zhiping has diagnosed and treated 180,000+ cases of patients in total, winning the trusts of the patients and wide industrial recognition with exquisite medical expertise.
Healing the World with Benevolence: Kindle the Hopes for Life with a Strong Focus on Patients Based on Professional Expertise
In 2019, a 62-year-old patient with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma found Professor Li Zhiping. This patient’s tumors have invaded trachea and aorta, thus other hospitals have evaluated that this patient cannot directly receive surgeries. Meanwhile, this patient has refused simply high-dose chemotherapy for relatively weak baseline pulmonary functions. Thus, the patient has once fallen into despair. After Prof. Li Zhiping and his team comprehensively evaluated the illness conditions of the patient, they have formulated an individualised solution of “image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy simultaneously combined with low-dose chemotherapy”, applying the respiratory gating technology to precisely delineate the target volume, repeatedly optimising chemotherapy plans, and protecting the normal cardiopulmonary tissues of the patients to the largest extend. During the treatment, Prof. Li Zhiping has followed up on the management of adverse reactios of the patient throughout the whole process, and timely given nutrition support and symptomatic treatment. Eventually, the patient has successfully finished receiving all the treatment, showing significant tumor regression, and succesfully finished receiving the radical surgery after MDT evaluation. During the 5-year post-operative follow-up examinations, the patient has had no recurrent tumors, enjoyed good life quality, and visited Prof. Li Zhiping for many times particularly to thank him for giving him another life.
Another 58-year-old patient with advanced rectal cancer with multiple pelvic metastases, has had severe pelvic pains when he was hospitalised, and had difficulty in defecation. He had already visited multiple hospitals, and was told that there were no effective radical treatment solutions. He and his family members almost gave up. After Professor Li Zhiping accepted the patient, he patiently soothed the patient’s emotions and comprehensively analysed the illness conditions and physical tolerance of the patient, finally deciding to foster the comprehensive solution of “using stereotactic radiotherapy (X knife) to precisely target metastatic lesions and targeted therapy combined with systemic immunotherapy”, and simultaneously giving normalised nutrition support and pain management. After only one month of treatment, the pains of the patient have been completely alleviated, and defecation has returned to a normal condition. In the follow-up sessions three months after the treatment, the patient’s pelvic metastatic lesions have significant shrinkage, and the tumor markers decreased evidently. The patient has successfully realised long-term tumor-bearing survival, and his survival period has reached far beyond expectations. Professor Li Zhiping has often said that: “For doctors, each patient is a heavy responsibility. We will spare no effort as long as there is even the slightest hope.”
Professor Li Zhiping has always adhered to the philosophy of “Guide scientific rsearches with clinical issues, and serve clinical practicces with scientific research results”. Professor Li Zhiping has deeply cultivated in the basic and clinical researches of tumor radiotherapy for more than 40 years, and he is focused on developing systematic researches in areas including the mechanism and prevention and treatment of radiation fibrosis in the radiotherapy for pulmonary tumors, tumor gene radiotherapy sensitization, and a coordinated mechanism between radiotherapy and immunotherapy. Till now, Professor Li Zhiping has released more than 100 scientific research theses, amongst which there are more than 50 SCI papers. A number of his theses have been released in international top-class tumor radiotherapy journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, Chemotherapy, and Oral Oncology, in which Professor Li Zhiping has released a series of academic achievements with certain industrial influence as the First Author and Corresponding Author.
1. The Clinical Experiment Research in PA-MSHA Vaccine (Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Fimbrial Strain) for the Auxiliary Treatment of Malignant Lymphoma and Lung Cancer
Professor Li Zhiping is the First Author of this paper. This paper was released in the Journal of West China University of Medical Sciences, 2000, Vol. 31, and No. 3. This paper discusses the efficacy of the clinical practice of using PA-MSHA vaccine (pseudomonas aeruginosa fimbrial strain) as immunoadjuvant in the auxiliary treatment of malignant lymphoma and lung cancer, providing early-stage clinical experiment references for the immunotherapy for tumors.
2. Li Zhiping, and Min Pengqiu. The Status Quo and Development of the Vascular Interventional Neuroradiology.
Professor Li Zhiping is the First Author of this paper. This paper has been released in Sichuan Medical Journal, 2000, Vol. 21, and No. 9. This review paper has systematically analysed the research progresses and clinical application of the vascular interventional neuroradiology, covering the core domains of the interventional thrombolytic therapy of ischemic lesions, angioplasty for vascular stenosis, and endovascular hemostasis. This review paper is one of the early-stage significant academic reviews in this field.
3. Li Kaiming, and Li Zhiping. The Status Quo and Prospect of the Interventional Therapies for the Treatment of Acute Hemorrhagic Necrotizing Pancreatitis.
Professor Li Zhiping is the Second Author (cited for 5 times) of this paper. This paper has been released in Sichun Medical Journal, 2000, Vol. 21, and No. 9. This paper reviews on the status quo and development prospect of the interventional therapies for the treatment of acute hemorrhagic necrotizing pancreatitis, discussing the application values of using interventional therapies technologies including regional arterial infusion in the comprehensive treatment of severe acute pancreatitis. This paper is an early-stage explorative review on the interventional therapies treatment strategies in the above field.
4. Dosimetric Comparison of Intensity Modulated and Volumetric Arc Radiation Therapy for Gastric Cancer
Professor Li Zhiping is the Corresponding Author of this paper. This research has been released in 2014 (indexed in PubMed). This research compares the dosimetric difference between the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in the radiotherapy for the treatment of gastric cancer and the single-arc/dual-arc volumetric modulated arc therapy (SA/DA-VMAT) plan, with the purpose of optimising the selection of irradiation technologies in precise radiotherapies for the treatment of gastric cancer. This research has provided critical dosimetric references for formulating the clinical radiotherapies solutions for gastric cancer.
5. Zhao Yaqin, Rong Liwen, Feng Xuqin, Zhu Hong, Zhang Yingjie, and Li Zhiping. The Research in Influence Factors of Radiation-induced Lung Injury after the Unresectable Esophageal Cancer Patients Were Treated with Radiotherapy.
Professor Li Zhiping is the Corresponding Author of this paper. This paper has been released in 2014 in the West China Academic Journals Series. This research has targeted the group of unresectable esophageal cancer patients, and systematically analysed the incidence rate and major influence factors of radiation-induced lung injury after the radiotherapy treatment, providing clinical evidence-based references for the prevention and individualised treatment of the lung injury in the radiation therapy for the treatment of esophageal cancer.
6. Zhao Yaqin, Wang Jin, Liu Duanqi, Liu Min, Chen Hong, Wang Xin, Li Zhiping, and Hou Mei. The Hypoxic Radiotherapy for Esophageal Cancer and Relevant Clinical Researches.
Professor Li Zhiping is the core author of this paper. The research has been released in the West China Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2015, Vol. 30, and No. 1, and has been included in Wanfang Data. This paper discusses the pharmaceutical strategy and clinical efficacy of radiosensitization under the hypoxic status, which is a featured research direction of Professor Li Zhiping and his team--the hypoxic radiotherapy for esophageal cancer. This paper is one of Professor Li Zhiping’s highly cited representative literature amongst his many academic achievements.
7. Li Xia, Wang Xuetao, Li Tao, Zhao Yaqin, Li Zhiping, Bai Sen, and Shen Yali. The Optimisation Study of Fields and Segments for Static Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Plans in Gastric Cancer Radiotherapy.
Professor Li Zhiping is a co-author (one of the core corresponding authors) of this paper. This paper has been released in West China Medical Journal, 2018, Vol. 33, and No. 4. This research focuses on the optimisation of the beam angles and segment number in the static intensity-modulated radiation therapy plans in gastric cancer radiotherapy. Through a dosimetric comparative analysis, this research suggests the optimisation strategy of lowering the dose of irradiation for the normal tissues while guaranteeing the dose coverage of the target volume, offering guidances for the clinical plans design of the precise radiation therapy in gastric cancer.
8. Cai L, Ouyang G, Wang X, Li Z, Shen Y. Radiotherapy Combined with Chemotherapy for Regional Lymph Node Recurrence in Gastric Cancer.
Professor Li Zhiping is a co-author (ranked No. 4 and is one of the team of corresponding authors). This paper has been released in Cancer Management and Research, 2020, Vol. 12, -35-21 (published by Dove Medical Press). This research has targeted the rare but challenging clinical scenarios of regional lymph node recurrence in postoperative gastric cancer, exploring the efficacy of the radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of local regional lymph node recurrence in gastric cancer, and analysing the principles of the spatial distribution of regional lymph node recurrence. This research has provided important references for the individualised treatment strategies for the recurrent patients with postoperative gastric cancer.
9. Shu P, Ouyang G, Wang F, Zhou J, Shen Y, Li Z, Wang X. The Role of Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Metastases from Colorectal Cancer.
Professor Li Zhiping is a co-author (ranked No. 6 and is a core Corresponding Author) of this paper. This paper has been released in Cancer Management and Research, September 2020, -21, (published in Dove Medical Press). This research systematically evaluates the role of radiotherapy in the treatment of retroperitoneal lymph node metastases from colorectal cancer, discussing the integrated model of radiotherapy dosage, delineation of target volume, and systemic therapy. This paper has provided evidence-based references for the local treatment of the clinically rare types of metastases.
10. Zeng Y, Zhu S, Wang Z, Chen J, Dai J, Liu Z, Sun G, Liang J, Zhang X, Wang Z, Zhao J, Ni Y, Yang J, Wang M, Wei Q, Li X, Chen N, Li Z, Wang X, Shen Y, Yao J, Huang R, Liu J, Cai D, Zeng H, Shen P. Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Discussion Improves Overall Survival Outcomes for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients.
Professor Li Zhiping is a co-author (ranked No. 19 and is a core member of MDT radiotherapy) of this paper. This paper has been released in Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, February 2023, -21 (published by Dove Medical Press). This multicenter study testifies that the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) discussion model can significantly improve the overall survival prognosis of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. This research has covered the MDT coordination processes in the surgical department, tumor internal medicine department, radiotherapy department, and imaging department, thus providing high-quality evidences for the values of MDT in advanced renal cancer management.
11. Zhang P, Chen Z, Shi S, Li Z, Ye F, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Surufatinib Plus Toripalimab, A Chemotherapy-free Regimen, in Patients with Advanced Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma, Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, or Biliary Tract Cancer.
Professor Li Zhiping is a co-author of this paper. This paper has been released in Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy, May 2024. This research has evaluated the efficacy and safety of fostering the “chemotherapy-free” regimen of Surufatinib plus Toripalimab in patients with advanced gastric/gastroesophagel junction adenocarcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and biliary tract cancer. This has been the newest exploration in the direction of fostering immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy for the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors of Professor Li Zhiping and his team.
12. G. Wei, … Z. Li, M. Qiu.腹膜癌病（Peritoneal Carcinomatosis）中人工智能技术的应用综述
G. Wei, ...Z. Li, M. Qiu. The Review on the Application of the Artificial Intelligence Technology in Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.
Professor Li Zhiping is a co-author of this paper. This review has been released in Heliyon, 2024, Vol. 10, No. 7, and -33. This article systematically elaborates on the application progress of the AI technology in the early-stage diagnosis, individualised treatment, and precise prognosis evaluation of peritoneal carcinomatosis, covering the fields of image recognition, big data extraction, and natural language processing, etc. This research has demonstrated Professor Li Zhiping and his team’s academic vision in the interdisciplinary researches on oncology and artificial intelligence.
13. Li Z, Yang L, Wang X, Xu H, Chen W, Kang S, Huang Y, Shu C, Cui F, Zhang Y. Intralesional and Perilesional Radiomics Strategy Based on Different Machine Learning for the Prediction of International Society of Urological Pathology Grade Group in Prostate Cancer.
14. The Individualised Comprehensive Therapy of Ear Keloid.
15. Zhou Xiaojuan, Wang Jin, Xu Feng, Li Ping, Li Zhiping, and Lu You. 36 Cases of Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Nasal NK/T-cell Lymphoma.
Professor Li Zhiping has participated in writing the textbook of Oncology (for 8-year medical programme) and the books such as Modern Lung Cancer Treatment, etc. This textbook systematically introduces the basic theories of oncology, the clinical diagnosis and treatment regulations of tumors in various systems, and new radiotherapy technologies, which is a core reference book for the academic teaching for the 8-year program of Clinimal Medicine in China.
