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LI Zhigang
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Pioneer in Robotic Esophageal Cancer Surgery Worldwide and Vice President of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE).
Prof. Li Zhigang is the Director of Thoracic Surgery and Esophageal Surgery at Shanghai Chest Hospital, and a doctoral supervisor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
He received his MD from the Navy Medical University and his PhD from Changhai Hospital. In 2011, he was awarded the prestigious Graham Fellowship of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
He has built and leads the world’s largest robot-assisted minimally invasive esophageal cancer surgery center, with over 1,700 robot-assisted esophagectomies performed at a single institution.
He led the world’s first multicenter RCT comparing robot-assisted versus conventional thoracoscopic esophagectomy, published in Annals of Surgery and selected as a top 1% ESI highly cited paper.
He established the first international expert consensus on robot-assisted esophageal surgery and founded China’s first robot esophageal surgery clinical demonstration center.
His research has been published in Cancer Cell, J Immunother Cancer, Nature Communications, and Annals of Surgery, with 66 SCI papers.
20+ Yrs Practice
66+ SCI Publications
1,700+ Robot-assisted Esophagectomies
8,000+ Total Surgical Cases
Focus on Disease Treatment & Therapeutic Methods
| Disease | Treatment Method | Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Esophageal Cancer | Robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy, neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy | World's largest single-center volume of robot-assisted esophagectomies |
| Lung Cancer | VATS radical surgery, precise GGO diagnosis and treatment | Precision diagnosis and stratified treatment of pulmonary malignancies |
| Mediastinal Tumors / Chest Wall | Minimally invasive resection, thymoma surgery | Extensive experience in complex mediastinal and chest wall surgery |
| Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease | Magnetic ring anti-reflux system (China's first) | Developed China's first magnetic ring anti-reflux system |
| Tracheal Diseases | Surgical and endoscopic intervention, stenosis repair | High-difficulty surgeries including post-intubation stenosis |
Target Patient Populations
- Patients with esophageal cancer and complex esophageal diseases.
- Patients requiring precise diagnosis and minimally invasive surgery for lung cancer and pulmonary nodules.
- Patients with mediastinal tumors and chest wall diseases.
- Patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
- Patients with benign or malignant tracheal stenosis.
- Patients seeking robot-assisted thoracic surgery.
Career Path
Career Milestones
Professional Memberships
International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE)
Esophageal Cancer Committee, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association
Thoracic Surgery Branch, Chinese Medical Doctor Association
Thoracic Surgery Branch, Shanghai Medical Doctor Association
Journal of Thoracic Disease
Multidisciplinary Gastroesophageal Reflux Branch, China International Exchange and Promotive Association for Medical and Health Care
Clinical Highlights
Years of Practice
Over 8,000 specialized surgical procedures performed since the establishment of the department, with the highest number of complex surgical cases nationwide.
Over 1,700 robot-assisted esophagectomies performed at a single center, the highest volume worldwide.
Pioneered a neoadjuvant immunotherapy trial for esophageal cancer in China in 2019 (NICE Study).
Led the development of the first international expert consensus on robot-assisted esophageal cancer surgery.
Invited to lead the world’s first advanced McKeown robotic esophagectomy training course.
Led one key research project funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology and four projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Academic Achievements
20+ Years
Clinical Experience
66+ Papers
SCI Publications
1,700+ Cases
Robot-assisted Esophagectomies
8,000+ Cases
Total Surgical Cases
Professional Memberships
- 1 Key Research Project — Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)
- 4 Research Projects — National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Representative Publications
Robot-assisted vs conventional MIE: multicenter RCT
2023
Top 1% ESI Highly Cited Paper
SPRY1+CD8+ T cells and neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade
2023
Cancer Cell
Two-year outcomes of NICE Phase 2 study
2023
JTCVS
KEYNOTE-590 global Phase III trial
Lancet
Multiple publications in Nature Communications (2021), JITC (2022) and other top journals
2021 / 2022
Nature Communications / JITC
Academic Exchanges
- Keynote speaker at AATS, ISDE and other top international thoracic surgery conferences.
- Organized Esophageal Surgery International Forum and Academic Week.
- Established Changjiang and Yangtze Delta Esophageal Surgery Collaboration Groups.
- Led world's first McKeown robot esophagectomy TR400 course, training 150+ surgeons globally.
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