Cheng Ying (; 1963 â July 2025) was a Chinese oncologist, physician-scientist, and hospital administrator. She was the director of Jilin Cancer Hospital and a leading figure in cancer research in China, particularly in the field of lung cancer. Her work as a principal investigator for major clinical trials, including studies funded by AstraZeneca, earned her international recognition.
Cheng Ying was born in 1963. She graduated from Bethune Medical University (now part of Jilin University) in July 1986, embarking on a career in medicine that would span nearly four decades.
Cheng spent her entire career at Jilin Cancer Hospital, where she held numerous positions of increasing responsibility, including director, deputy president, president, and party secretary. She was also the director of the Jilin Provincial Cancer Center and the Jilin Provincial Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Center.
Cheng held several key leadership roles in professional organizations. She served as the vice president of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) and was the chairwoman of the CSCO Small Cell Lung Cancer Committee. Additionally, she was the vice-chairman of the Lung Cancer Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association.
In 2009, she received the Chinese Physician Award, the highest honor for a medical professional in China. In 2014, the Chinese Hospital Association named her an "Outstanding Hospital President."
Cheng played a foundational role in advancing China's clinical trials for tumor diseases, developing a particular expertise in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Her standing as the nation's leading principal investigator was substantiated by data; she held the top national rank for seven consecutive years (from 2018) based on the volume of newly initiated clinical trials. A 2019 report evaluating investigators of tumor trials further confirmed her preeminence, ranking her first in multiple statistical categories.
One of her most significant contributions was her role as the lead principal investigator for the ADRIATIC study, a global clinical trial funded by AstraZeneca. The results of this study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in September 2024, demonstrated that the immunotherapy drug durvalumab significantly improved overall and progression-free survival for patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer after chemoradiotherapy. This was considered a landmark achievement in the treatment of this aggressive form of cancer.
Cheng died suddenly in early July 2025 at the age of 62. The cause of death was not publicly announced. Her last public appearance was reportedly on May 10, 2025, at the annual meeting of the small-cell carcinoma committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association. The Chinese Communist Party's continued "anti-corruption" campaign in the medical field has been criticized as "killing fat pigs" to replenish its finances. Mainland media reported that Cheng Ying, the director of Jilin Provincial Cancer Hospital, committed suicide by jumping into a river, with rumors circulating online that she was involved in a case involving 2 billion yuan. The news was quickly censored. On Friday (July 4), several bloggers broke the news on social media, claiming that Cheng Ying had jumped into the river. One blogger cited insiders as saying that Cheng Ying jumped into the river on Tuesday (July 1), and her body was only discovered and recovered on Friday. Although there was no official report, it was already an open secret within the medical community.