The predecessor of Sichuan Cancer Hospital’s Department of Thoracic Cancer is the Department of Thoracic Surgery introduced when the hospital was first established in 1988. In the mid-1990s, the department experimented with bronchoplasty, pulmonary arterioplasty and colonic interposition for esophageal replacement. Beginning from the 21st century, the department became the first in Southwestern China to introduce thoracic tumor MIS, en bloc resection for esophageal cancer, hypopharyngeal cancer surgery, holistic nursing and Stage III lung cancer surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Since 2008, the hospital has invested over CN¥15 million in new medical equipment, research activities, innovation support and clinical teaching support for the Thoracic Cancer Department alone.