The 54th Annual Meeting of the American Pancreatic Association (APA) was held in San Diego, California, USA from November 15 to 19, Beijing time. Scholars and researchers from around the world specializing in pancreatic diseases gathered in San Diego to discuss the latest research progress of pancreatic diseases. Professor Chen Rufu, Associate Chief Physician Zhou Yu and Dr. Zheng Shangyou from our Department of Pancreas Center attended the meeting and exchanged academic insights. 

At this APA Annual Meeting, the immune microenvironment and neuroecology of pancreatic cancer, and the relationship between cell metabolism and pancreatic tumors and pancreatitis were reported and discussed in separate subsections. Scholars from all over the world delivered fascinating presentations on the hot and difficult topics of pancreatic disease-related basic, translational, and clinical research carried out by several top pancreatic disease research centers worldwide in recent years. Among the presenters, three were from China. Notably, Dr. Zheng Shangyou made a report titled "Unveiling the Mechanism of Perineural Invasion in Pancreatic Cancer: An Insight Into the Role of CAFs and RNA Methylation" which demonstrated Professor Chen Rufu's work in the creation and standardization of neurosurgical clearance in pancreatic cancer. He also shared the latest research findings in the field of pancreatic cancer neuroinvasion. For the first time, the project delved into the intricate mechanisms of how fibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment, at the level of RNA modification, promote neural invasion and tumor progression in pancreatic cancer. The research aroused strong interest among experts at the meeting, including Professor Michael Pflüger from Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States, and sparked in-depth discussions and exchanges. International experts highly praised the study. 

Dr. Zheng Shangyou delivering a presentation at the meeting

Apart from invited presentations, Professor Chen Rufu's team also presented a poster titled “Unmasking The Silent Saboteur: Extracellular Vesicle-Packaged Circbirc6 From Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Induce Platinum Resistance Via Sumoylation Modulation In Pancreatic Cancer”. It revealed the precise mechanism by which tumor-associated fibroblasts regulate pancreatic cancer resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy through sumoylation modification. Professor Min Li, Chair of the APA and Vice Dean of the College of Medicine and Associate Dean of the Cancer Hospital at the University of Oklahoma, spoke highly of the academic content presented by Professor Chen Rufu’s team and appreciated their contributions to the field of neuroinvasion in pancreatic cancer.

Professor Chen Rufu's team demonstrated their poster presentation.

Professor Chen Rufu and his team have long been dedicated to the specialization of pancreatic surgery. They were the first in the world to propose that combined neurosurgical clearance may improve the prognosis of pancreatic cancer. Through the largest sample-sized randomized controlled trial (RCT) of pancreatic surgery worldwide, they confirmed that combined neurosurgical clearance significantly improves postoperative survival of patients with pancreatic head cancer. Professor Chen Rufu also pioneered minimally invasive techniques in pancreatic surgery, including individualized laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy and the "three-needle method" for laparoscopic pancreatic-intestinal anastomosis. He has hosted a number of training courses and academic conferences on minimally invasive pancreatic surgery every year and trained thousands of key individuals in laparoscopic techniques nationwide. These techniques have been widely adopted in over 300 hospitals across China, effectively promoting the standardized development of laparoscopic pancreatic surgery in South China and even across the country. The team's series of achievements, "Establishment and Promotion of Personalized and Precision Diagnosis and Treatment System for Pancreatic Cancer," earned them the First Prize of the Third (2022) Guangdong Medical Science and Technology Award.

The participation of the Pancreas Center at this year's APA Annual Meeting fully demonstrated the latest achievements of Professor Chen Rufu's team in the field of pancreatic cancer neuroinvasion, and showed the international perspective and comprehensive strength of our Department of Pancreas Center in both clinical practice and scientific research.

Pancreas Center

Updated: November 28, 2023