Build a National-Level Discipline and Establish a Premier Gastroenterology Specialty
Build a National-Level Discipline and Establish a Premier Gastroenterology Specialty
— Documentary on the National Key Specialty Construction Project of the Gastroenterology Department at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital
On the vast land of western China, a healthcare initiative dedicated to public well-being has been deepening its roots for two decades. The Gastroenterology Department of Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital has steadily advanced from a regional diagnosis and treatment center to the journey of building a national key discipline. This path, honed with "technological breakthroughs" as its edge, "talent aggregation" as its foundation, and "model innovation" as its soul, has culminated in the "Wuwei Model," benefiting millions of people.
Within the landscape of gastrointestinal disease prevention and treatment in western China, through two decades of perseverance, continuous innovation, and a commitment to public health, the department has established a comprehensive system spanning from clinical diagnosis and treatment to early cancer prevention and control. It has not only become a regional medical hub but has also provided replicable western experience for grassroots cancer prevention and treatment efforts across the country.
Building the Discipline with Technology: Establishing Its Position through Cutting-Edge Breakthroughs
Technological innovation serves as the core driving force for disciplinary development. As a key discipline in Gansu Province, the Department of Gastroenterology has consistently led regional technological advancements with "minimally invasive" and "precision" as its dual pillars, achieving multiple milestone records. In 2023, it successfully performed an endoscopic transcecal appendectomy, pioneering a new minimally invasive approach for appendicitis treatment in the province. In 2024, it completed Gansu's first robot-assisted endoscopic transanal appendectomy with no abdominal wall scarring. In 2025, the department scaled new heights by overcoming technical challenges such as the dual-endoscopy (gastroscopy + laparoscopy) combined radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer and performing Gansu's first endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD). These achievements have established a comprehensive minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment system covering early gastrointestinal cancers and complex diseases.
Solid clinical data serves as the most compelling testament to technical prowess: Leveraging a major national healthcare reform initiative, gastric cancer screening has been comprehensively implemented. The incidence of gastric cancer in Wuwei City has decreased by nearly 50% compared to 2006, with mortality rates significantly reduced. Tens of thousands of residents have regained their health through early diagnosis and treatment.
For eight consecutive years, the hospital has maintained the highest number and rate of painless endoscopic procedures in the province. The detection rate of upper gastrointestinal cancers and the volume of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) treatments have consistently ranked first among hospitals at all levels in the province. Additionally, the hospital has secured the top honor of "First Place in the National Endoscopy and Pathology Integrated Diagnosis and Treatment Technology Competition" on authoritative platforms.
Cutting-edge hardware platforms provide robust support for technological innovation: equipped with 2 modern endoscopy centers and 15 standardized treatment rooms, featuring nearly 20 suspended Olympus endoscope systems and over 50 high-end endoscopes, including endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), enteroscopes, and Spyglass cholangioscopes. Meanwhile, more than 300 internationally advanced devices—such as the domestically produced first Toumai four-arm surgical robot and Gansu Province's first super-iteration PET-CT—collectively form a leading precision diagnosis and treatment equipment cluster in western China.
Talent Strengthens the Discipline: Building a High-Level, International Team
The leap in discipline development relies on the support of top-tier talent. The hospital focuses on the strategic needs of Wuwei as a national high-incidence area for gastric cancer prevention and treatment, and has built a core team with an optimized structure and reasonable team.
The leading forces include a gastroenterology team headed by a group of senior experts: Chief Physician Zhang Zhiyi, a leading talent in Gansu's health system, a leading talent in Wuwei City, founder of the Gastroenterology Department of Wuwei Cancer Hospital, chief expert of the Gastroenterology Department of Wuwei Cancer Hospital, and director of the Endoscopy Center; First-Level Chief Physician Wu Zhengqi, a leading talent in Gansu Province and an advanced worker in Gansu Province, as well as the discipline leader; Chief Physician Lu Linzhi, chairman of the Wuwei Digestive Committee; Chief Physician Zhang Wenhong (Master of Medicine); Deputy Chief Physician Zhao Guangyuan (Master of Medicine); Deputy Chief Physician Li Shihua; Deputy Chief Physician Liu Jindian (Master of Medicine); Deputy Chief Physician Xie Chunfang; and many others.
The addition of international experts has injected new vitality into the department. Professor Kohei Takizawa, a renowned gastroenterology expert from Japan, has been appointed as a specially invited professor. Over the next three years, he will work regularly at the hospital, providing continuous hands-on training and technical guidance. This will support the development of the gastroenterology department as a national key specialty and simultaneously drive the optimization and enhancement of heavy-ion therapy for digestive system tumors.
Professor Koei Takizawa from Kanagawa Prefectural Hospital Cancer Center, Japan
The multidisciplinary collaboration model is becoming increasingly mature. Through collaboration with a large number of senior digestive surgery experts, including Chief Physician Nie Peng, Vice President of the hospital, Chief Physician Chen Hongbing, Chief Physician Teng Tingpeng, Deputy Chief Physician Li Shigong, Deputy Chief Physician Tao Jichun, Deputy Chief Physician Wang Jihong, Deputy Chief Physician Wang Jisheng, and Deputy Chief Physician Su Fade, a multidisciplinary and rationally structured "talent system" has been established, providing solid support for the diagnosis and treatment of complex diseases.
Model for Public Benefit: Forging the Replicable "Wuwei Model"
As a national demonstration base for the early diagnosis and treatment of upper gastrointestinal cancer, nearly two decades of practice have forged the highly effective "Wuwei Model." Since the screening project was launched in 2006 with the support of experts from Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, this model has deeply integrated research and clinical practice. Relying on five national and provincial platforms, such as the National Ministry of Health Base for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastric Cancer and the Gansu Province Clinical Medical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, scientific research achievements like the "promotion and application of sequential screening for gastric cancer" have directly benefited millions of people.
Currently, the focus is on pioneering research in areas such as low-dose radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy. Multiple clinical research projects have received national and provincial funding and completed international registration, continuously driving the upgrade of the integrated "prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and research" system.
Disciplinary Refinement: Perfecting the System to Build a Professional Brand
As a national endoscopy training base, a branch biobank of Xijing Hospital, and the Wuwei Branch Center of the China Helicobacter pylori Molecular Medicine Center, it has established a subspecialty system covering critical areas such as upper/lower gastrointestinal tumors, inflammatory bowel disease, and functional gastrointestinal disorders, achieving refined and full-cycle disease management.
The leading technological advantage continues to be consolidated. A series of high-precision techniques, including ESD, POEM, EUS-FNA, ERCP, and Spyglass cholangioscopy, are routinely performed comprehensively, with a focus on integration and original innovation. In the past three years, nine new technologies and projects have been successfully implemented in the hospital, many of which have filled gaps within the province.
The coordinated development of science and education has yielded remarkable results. The department undertakes numerous national, provincial, and municipal research projects, producing a large volume of high-quality papers and patents, thereby enabling research to contribute back to clinical practice. Leveraging its training base, it actively organizes provincial-level continuing education programs to cultivate talent at the grassroots level. Through extensive academic exchanges, it shares the "Wuwei Experience" and technical standards, exerting a profound influence across Northwest China and establishing itself as one of the leaders in shaping regional diagnostic and treatment norms.
Looking ahead, the Gastroenterology Department of Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital has set the creation of a national key discipline as its new benchmark, remaining unwavering in its commitment to the core mission of "detecting one cancer early, saving one life, and bringing happiness to one family." By continuously strengthening technological leadership, deepening talent cultivation, optimizing models for public benefit, and enhancing scientific research and innovation, the hospital will further solidify its leading position in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in western China. This will allow the "Wuwei Model" to shine even brighter and contribute indispensable western strength to the in-depth implementation of the Healthy China strategy.
- National Key Specialty Construction Project
- Key Discipline of Gansu Province
- First Place in the National Endoscopy-Pathology Integrated Diagnosis and Treatment Technology Competition
- Ranked First in Gansu Province for Eight Consecutive Years in Both the Volume and Proportion of Painless Endoscopy Procedures
- Highest Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Detection Rate Among Hospitals at All Levels in Gansu Province
- Highest Volume of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) Treatments in Gansu Province
- Nationally Leading Equipment and Diagnostic Capabilities, Including the First Robot-Assisted Endoscopic Transanal Appendectomy and the First Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Biliary Drainage (EUS-BD) in Gansu Province
- A High-Level Professional Team Led by Chief Physician Zhang Zhiyi, a Leading Talent in Gansu’s Health System, Founder of the Gastroenterology Department of Wuwei Cancer Hospital, and Director of the Endoscopy Center; Chief Physician Wu Zhengqi, Chief Expert of the Gastroenterology Department and Discipline Leader; and Chief Physician Lu Linzhi, Chairperson of the Wuwei Digestive Diseases Committee
- Designations Include: National Ministry of Health Base for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastric Cancer, National Ministry of Health Training Base for Digestive Endoscopy Technology, Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory for Gastrointestinal Diseases, Wuwei Branch of the Shanghai Molecular Medicine Center for Helicobacter Pylori, and Wuwei Branch of the Xijing Hospital Biobank