CUHK Research: Changing the world

Lung cancer treatment Refining global paradigms in lung cancer treatment The CUHK research group led by Professor Tony Mok Shu-kam has decoded the common mutated genes in lung cancer and developed targeted therapies that have successfully increased patients’ lifespans. These innovative therapies redefined global paradigms in lung cancer treatment, providing patients with fresh hope. Professor Mok has established himself as one of the leading oncologists of the world, with his work on targeted EGFR inhibitors marking a significant milestone in the use of immunotherapy. Tony Mok Shu-kam Li Shu Fan Medical Foundation Professor of Oncology The grand challenge Lung cancer is one of the deadliest killers of the world, with some statistics estimating that it accounts for 1.8 million deaths every year. Yet such is its complexity that 20 years ago there was no specific way with which it could be targeted and treated. Back when Professor Mok started researching the subject, more than 70% of patients who had lung cancer only showed symptoms when their illness was already significantly advanced. Even when they were diagnosed, the prognosis was often extremely dire, with patients given at most a year or so to live, a short period of time which chemotherapy only helped extend by a few months. It was in 2004 when a team from Harvard discovered that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations were responsible for cases of lung cancer. This is particularly prevalent amongst Asian cancer patients, 30-40% of whom normally do not have a smoking habit, compared to a third of that in other regions. “It was therefore imperative that there was a study suited to the situation in Asian countries, and I had built up a research network of Asian scientists around that Nowwe are level with researchers inWestern countries, and realising the significance of EGFR inhibitors played a huge part in that. 29