Assoc Prof Chua Lee Kiang Melvin

Dr. Chua a Clinician-Scientist at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and the Duke-NUS Medical School. He is the Head of Department and Senior Consultant for the Department of Head and Neck and Thoracic Radiation Oncology, Principal Investigator of the Precision Radiotherapeutics and Oncology Programme (PROP) (www.chualabnccs.com); and Director of the Data and Computational Science Hub at NCCS. He is currently Associate Professor (On Tenure) of Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; and Visiting Professor of the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, China. His work is supported by several National grants including: (1) the NMRC CSA (Investigator-category); (2) the National Research Foundation Competitive Research Programme (NRF-CRP); (3) the Ministry of Education Tier 3 Grant; (4) the NMRC Open Fund Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG); and (5) the NMRC Centre Grant, as well as large philanthropic donations, notably from the Goh Foundation to Proton Therapy Research, the Tibore Foundation to the Kua Hong Pak Head and Neck Cancer Research Programme, and the Singapore Rubber Miller Association to the Cancer and Data Science Programme. His key research focus areas are: (1) Developing a comprehensive nasopharyngeal carcinoma clinical and translational research programme that leverages on innovative designs of phase 2-3 trials, a multi-dimensional, deeply-annotated clinical-molecular database, coupled with broad-scale computational genomics approaches for biomarker discoveries; and (2) A translational radiation research programme that leverages on bench-to-bedside expertise to understand the mechanistic pathways of radiation resistance, and to develop new treatment regimens to target these molecular vulnerabilities.

Among his main accomplishments are: (1) Developing the ASCO-CSCO international guidelines on the treatment of locoregionally-advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma; (2) Co-Lead Investigator of several randomised controlled trials that changed the standard of care treatments in nasopharyngeal carcinoma; (3) Lead Investigator of Singapore Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Large Collaborative Grant Program; and notably, (4) Chair of the Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Expert Panel for the American Joint Committee on Cancer and Union for International Cancer Control TNM-Staging 9th version. Dr. Chua is also an active volunteer for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), having as the past Council Chair of the ASCO APAC Regional Council, and Program Chair for the ASCO Breakthrough Meeting 2024. For his work, he was conferred the Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 2025. He was also the Commissioner representative for Singapore on the Lancet Oncology Commission on Cancer in the Commonwealth.

Dr. Chua has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, with a H-index of 44 (>11,000 citations); He is the Lead Author of the Nasopharynx Cancer Chapter of the 12th edition of the Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology – the most widely-used oncology textbook worldwide, as well as other highly cited articles in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Nature, Cell, Journal of Clinical Oncology and JAMA Oncology. He is listed as the World’s Top 2% Most Cited Scientists in 2023 and 2024, and received the SingHealth Excellence Distinguished Researcher Award in 2021.

• MBBS, 2002 
• FRCR (Clinical Oncology), The Royal College of Radiologists (UK), 2013 
• PhD, University College London (UK), 2013 
• FAMS, The College of Radiation Oncology and Clinician Scientists (Singapore), 2021

• 2025 Commissioner, International Commission of Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) 
• 2024 Commissioner, The Lancet Oncology Commission on Cancer in the Commonwealth 
• 2024 UICC Representative AJCC Head and Neck Working Group for Nasopharynx Malignancy 
• 2023 Chair, NPC Expert Panel for AJCC Staging 9th version 
• 2023 Chair, ASCO Breakthrough Meeting Program Planning Committees 
• 2023 Member, ESTRO Guidelines Committee for Recommendations on Post-operative Radiotherapy in Oral Cavity Cancers 
• 2022 Chair, Head Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG) Scientific Committee 
• 2022 Chair-elect, ASCO Breakthrough Meeting Program Planning Committees 
• 2022 Honorary KOL, Thoracic and Head and Neck Tumour group, Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium (STCC) 
• 2020 ASCO-CSCO International Guidelines Committee in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

• Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) (2025) 
• World’s Top 2% Most Cited Scientists 2024 
• World’s Top 2% Most Cited Scientists 2023 
• SingHealth Service Quality Star Award (2023) 
• SingHealth Excellence Award – Distinguished Researcher Award, Singapore (2021) 
• Clinician-Scientist (Investigator) Award, National Medical Research Council (2018, 2021) 
• Manpower Development Plan Leadership Award, MOH Health (2020) 
• Ferring Singapore Innovation Award (2017) 
• ASCO Merit Award, American Society of clinician Oncology (2013, 2016, 2017) 
• Sanofi Research Award, Canadian Urologic Oncology Group (2015) 
• Transition Award for Clinician Scientist, National Medical Research Council (2014)

• Novel phase II and III clinical trials in Nasopharynx and Prostate Cancers 
• Explore "Big Data" science to build precise risk stratification models, and for automation of radiotherapy and cancer management 
• 'Omics' data to discover novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers of tumour radioresistance

• PI, RIBBON-LA-01: tReatment Individualisation By eBv stratificatiOn in Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A multi-arm platform study for locoregionally-advanced NPC (Ongoing) 
• PI, HARMONY: HeAd and neck Rapid deep-learning auto-segmentation tool – a Multi-clinic evaluatiON studY (Ongoing) 
• Co-PI, REACT-IrNPC: RadiothErapy dose Adaptation by EBV DNA response to induction ChemoTherapy in Intermediate-risk NasoPharyngeal Carcinoma: A Multicentre Randomised Controlled Phase III Trial (NCT04448522; Ongoing)
• Co-PI, A Biomarker Enrichment, Phase II study of 177Lu-DOTA0-Tyr3-Octreotate in Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Cancer (Ongoing)
• Co-PI, Multicentre, randomised controlled Phase III trial of adjuvant capecitabine in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NCT02143388; Ongoing)
• Co-PI, EP-STAR: EPstein-barr virus DNA response to Systemic therapy for Treatment Adaptation in high-Risk nasopharyngeal carcinoma – A multi-centre, single-arm, Phase II, biomarker-guided umbrella trial (NCT04072107; Ongoing)
• PI, PROSTAR: Prospective single-arm Phase II stereotactic body radiotherapy for organ-confined prostate cancer (NCT02313298; Ongoing
• Co-PI, Multicentre, randomised controlled Phase III trial of locoregional radiotherapy for responders to chemotherapy in recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NCT02111460; Completed)
• Co-PI, Multicentre, randomised controlled Phase III trial of induction gemcitabine-cisplatin and cisplatin and radiotherapy versus cisplatin and radiotherapy alone in stage 3-4 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NCT01872962; Completed)
• Co-PI, Single-arm Phase II trial of nimotuzumab in combination with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil in recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NCT01616849; Completed)

• Huang BXZ, Zhang X, Kang MP, Chua ML. Personalising Nasopharyngeal Cancer: Systemic Therapy and Radiotherapy Treatment Volumes. Semin Radiat Oncol. 2025; 35(2): 173-89. 
• Chan SPY, Yeo CPX, Hong BH, Tan EMC, Beh CY, Yeo ELL, Poon DJJ, Chu PL, Soo KC, Chua ML, Exp Hematol Oncol. 2025 Jan 12;14(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s40164-024-00590-8. PMID: 39800760.Yeo CP, Hong BH, Tan EM, Beh CY, Yeo EL, Poon DJ, Chu PL, Soo KC, Chua ML (Co-Senior), et al. Combinatorial Functionomics Identifies HDAC6-dependent Molecular Vul-nerability of Radioresistant Head and Neck Cancer. Exp Hematol Oncol 2025; 14(1): 5. 
• Beh CY, Yeo CPX, Hong BH, Tan EMC, Tan KM, Poon DJJ, Chu PL, Susanti D, Tai PL, Ryu M, Proudfoot J, Yeo ELL, Soo KC, Chua ML. Genomic and transcriptomic profiling of radiore-sistant prostate and head and neck cancers implicate a BAHD1-dependent modification of DNA damage at the heterochromatin. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15(12): 929.
• Zhang X, Yan J, Lei QQ, Neo JL, Tan SH, Shu XL, Huang L, Long B, Xie Y, Wang F, Wang YW, Tu HL, Wang CC, Zhang L, Yang JY, Zhang JW, Liu HW, Lim DW, Chua ML (Co-Senior), et al. A Randomised, Multicentre, Phase II Trial of Camrelizumab with or without Me-tastasis-directed Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2024: S0360-3016(24)03512-0. 
• Zhu HC, Chua ML, et al. Global radiotherapy demands and corresponding medical profes-sional workforce requirements: Current status and projected needs of 2050. Lancet Glob Health 2024: S2214-109X(24)00355-3. 
• Pan JJ, Mai HQ, Ng WT, Hu CS, Li JG, Chen XZ, Chow JCH, Wong E, Lee V, Ma LY, Guo QJ, Liu Q, Liu LZ, Xu TT, Gong XC, Qiang MY, Au KH, Liu TC, Chiang CL, Xiao YP, Lin SJ, Chen YB, Guo SS, Wong CHL, Tang LQ, Xu ZY, Jia YZ, Peng WS, Hu LP, Lu TZ, Jiang F, Cao CN, Xu W, Ma J, Blanchard P, Williams M, Glastonbury CM, King AD, Patel SG, Seethala RR, Colevas AD, Fan DM, Chua ML (Co-Senior), et al. Ninth Version of the AJCC and UICC Nasopharyngeal Cancer TNM Staging Classification. JAMA Oncol 2024. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2024.4354. 
• Yip PL, Lee AW, Chua ML. Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Locoregionally-advanced Nasopharyn-geal Carcinoma. Lancet Oncol 2023: S1470-2045(23)00266-8. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00266-8. 
• Petit C, Lee A, Ma J, Lacas B, et al.; MAC-NPC Collaborative Group. Role of chemotherapy in patients with nasopharynx carcinoma treated with radiotherapy (MAC-NPC): an updated indi-vidual patient data network meta-analysis. Lancet Oncol 2023; 24(6): 611-23. (IF 54.433) 
• Lim DW, Kao H-F, Suteja L, Li CH, Quah HS, Tan DS, Tan SH, Tan EH, Tan WL, Lee JN, Ting FW, Jain A, Goh BC, Chua ML, et al. Clinical efficacy and biomarker analysis of dual PD-1/CTLA-4 blockade in recurrent/metastatic EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Nat Commun 2023; 14(1): 2781. 
• Cheng J, Jiang J, He B, Lin WJ, Li Y, Duan J, Li H, Huang X, Cai J, Xie J, Zhang Z, Yang Y, Xu Y, Hu X, Wu M, Zhuo X, Liu Q, Shi Z, Yu P, Rong X, Ye X, Saw PE, Wu LJ, Simone CB 2nd, Chua ML, et al. A phase 2 study of thalidomide for the treatment of radiation-induced blood-brain barrier injury. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15(684): eabm6543. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abm6543. 
• Miao JJ, Wang L, Tan SH, Li JG, Yi JL, Ong EH, Tan LL, Zhang Y, Gong XC, Chen QY, Xiang YQ, Chen MY, Guo Y, Lv Xing, Xia WX, Tang LQ, Deng XW, Guo X, Han F, Mai HQ, Chua ML (Co-Senior), et al. Adjuvant capecitabine following concurrent chemoradiotherapy in lo-coregionally-advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA Oncol 2022; 8(12): 1776–85. 
• Pan D, Rong XM, Chen DP, Jiang JR, Ng WT, Mai HQ, Li Y, Li HH, Cai JH, Cheng JP, Xu YT, Chua ML, et al. Mortality of early treatment for radiation-induced brain necrosis in head and neck cancer survivors: a multicenter, retrospective, registry-based cohort study. EClini-calMedicine 2022; 52: 101618. 
• You R, Liu Y-P, Huang P-Y, Xiong Z, Sun R, He Y-X, Wu Y-S, Shen G-P, Zhang H-D, Duan C-Y, Tan SH, Cao J-Y, Li J-B, Xie Y-L, Zhang Y-N, Wang Z-Q, Yang Q, Lin M, Jiang R, Zhang M-X, Hua Y-J, Tang L-Q, Luo D-H, Chen Q-Y, Mo H-Y, Guo L, Chen Y, Mai HQ, Zhang L, Ling L, Liu Q, Chua ML (Co-senior), et al. Comparison of chemotherapy plus locoregional radio-therapy with chemotherapy alone in primary metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a random-ized, open-label, phase 3 trial. JAMA Oncol 2020; 6(9): 1345-52. 
• Zhang Y, Chen L, Hu GQ, Zhang N, Zhu XD, Yang KY, Jin F, Shi M, Chen Y-P, Hu WH, Cheng ZB, Wang SY, Tian Y, Wang XC, Sun Y, Li GJ, Li WF, Li YH, Tang LL, Mao YP, Zhou GQ, Sun R, Liu X, Guo R, Long GX, Liang SQ, Li L, Huang J, Long JH, Zang J, Liu QD, Zou L, Su QF, Zheng BM, Xiao Y, Guo Y, Han F, Mo HY, Liu N, Li YQ, Chua ML (Co-senior), et al. Gemcitabine and cisplatin induction chemotherapy nasopharyngeal carcinoma. N Engl J Med 2019; 381(12): 1124-35. 
• Chua ML, Wee J, Hui EP, Chan AT. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Lancet 2016;387(10022): 1012-24.