Private & confidential
Dr. Liao Ning
Chinese name: 廖宁
Chief Physician, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor . Breast Surgery
Dr. Liao Ning is Director and academic leader of breast surgery at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. A board member of the Society of Surgical Oncology and the International Sentinel Node Society, she has led international multicentre breast cancer trials and helped shape Chinese guidelines on HER2-positive and sentinel-node-based treatment.
Dr. Liao Ning
30+ years
Breast cancer surgical practice
100+ cases
Robotic-assisted breast surgery
329 patients enrolled
PEONY phase III trial (HER2-positive breast cancer)
About Dr. Liao Ning
Dr. Liao Ning is Director and academic leader of breast surgery at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. She has devoted more than twenty-five years to the surgical and systemic treatment of breast cancer, with expertise in sentinel node biopsy, minimally invasive surgery and multidisciplinary care. She led the PEONY trial, which established dual HER2 blockade as a standard neoadjuvant treatment for Asian patients, and her work has informed national and international guidelines. She serves on the international councils of the Society of Surgical Oncology and the International Sentinel Node Society, and is a recipient of the Guangdong March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter award.
1、Director and academic leader of breast surgery at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital
2、Board member of the International Council of the Society of Surgical Oncology
3、Board member of the International Council of the International Sentinel Node Society
4、Expert member for the Chinese versions of the NCCN and St Gallen breast cancer guidelines
5、Principal investigator of the PEONY phase 3 trial in HER2-positive early breast cancer
6、Recipient of the Guangdong March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter award and the Yangcheng Good Doctor award
Dr. Liao Ning ’s Three Key Areas of Expertise
Three areas of focused expertise, each supported by a deep subspecialty team, high case volumes and an English-speaking care pathway coordinated by Orisene.
Breast cancer surgery
She performs breast-conserving surgery, sentinel node biopsy and minimally invasive procedures for early and locally advanced breast cancer, combining precise oncological control with attention to cosmetic outcome and quality of life for women, and participates in international trials of new surgical techniques.
HER2-positive breast cancer
She led the PEONY trial establishing dual HER2 blockade as neoadjuvant therapy and develops individualized targeted regimens, improving pathological complete response and long-term outcomes for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, including those with high-risk, aggressive or locally advanced disease.
Multidisciplinary breast care and genetic risk
She integrates surgery, oncology, pathology and genetic counselling to deliver coordinated, comprehensive, individualised care for each woman, and guides patients with BRCA mutations and familial risk toward surveillance, risk-reducing strategies, personalized treatment and long-term follow-up, based on the latest international evidence and guidelines.
More: sentinel node biopsy——staging; breast reconstruction——collaborative planning; benign breast disease——treatment; breast screening——early detection; clinical trials——new therapies
Selected cases, research & publications
Representative work drawn from documented clinical treatments, publicly indexed literature, and hospital project records, reflecting the depth of this physician's hands-on expertise and academic rigor.
1. PEONY Phase III Trial: Neoadjuvant Dual HER2 Blockade in HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer
This randomized, multicenter phase III PEONY trial evaluated neoadjuvant pertuzumab plus trastuzumab and docetaxel in Asian patients with HER2-positive early or locally advanced breast cancer. Dual HER2 blockade significantly improved total pathological complete response and long-term event-free and disease-free survival, establishing a standard neoadjuvant treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer and informing patient selection and management.
Related link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45591-7
2. Robot-Assisted Breast-Conserving Surgery with Ultrasound-Guided Indocyanine Green
Professor Liao Ning’s team reported a world-first technique combining intraoperative ultrasound-guided intratumoral indocyanine green injection with robot-assisted surgery for precise breast-conserving resection. In 63 patients, including 29 after neoadjuvant therapy, frozen-section margins were negative in 100 percent and final margin negativity reached 98.4 percent, reducing reoperation risk while preserving normal breast tissue and cosmetic outcomes.
3. Pathogenic Germline Variants Across HER2 Expression Subtypes in Breast Cancer
This study analyzed germline pathogenic variants in 530 Chinese breast cancer patients and 98 high-risk controls using a 102-gene next-generation sequencing panel. It revealed distinct germline mutation signatures across HER2-high, HER2-low and HER2-zero subtypes, with BRCA/FANC pathway enrichment in HER2-low and HER2-zero disease, supporting multigene germline testing to guide risk assessment, early detection and personalized targeted treatment.
4. Case Report: Trastuzumab Deruxtecan (DS-8201a) for HER2-Low Metastatic Breast Cancer
This case report from Liao Ning’s team describes a 23-year-old woman with heavily pretreated HER2-low, heterogeneous metastatic breast cancer. After liver metastasis retesting showed HER2 IHC 1+, trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201a) was given for ten cycles, producing symptom relief, shrinkage of liver and brain metastases and improved liver function, highlighting rebiopsy and antibody-drug conjugate therapy in HER2-low disease.
Related link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35237089/
5. Intraoperative Radiotherapy After Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy in Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (NCT02389686)
This registered clinical trial, led by Liao Ning at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, assesses intraoperative radiotherapy using the INTRABEAM system during nipple-sparing mastectomy for women with ductal carcinoma in situ. Delivering a single 16 Gy dose to the nipple-areola complex is evaluated for ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence, disease-free and overall survival, exploring safe breast-preserving surgical treatment.
Related link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02389686
6. XT versus XEC Adjuvant Chemotherapy in HER2-Negative Luminal B Breast Cancer (NCT01779531)
This randomized phase III trial, sponsored by Liao Ning, compares capecitabine plus docetaxel with capecitabine, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide as adjuvant regimens in HER2-negative Luminal B breast cancer patients who achieved partial but not pathological complete response after neoadjuvant XT chemotherapy, evaluating disease-free and overall survival to optimize individualized systemic treatment.
Related link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01779531
Where Dr. Liao Ning practices
Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital
Chinese name: 广东省人民医院
Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, a Grade-A tertiary general hospital founded in 1946, is a national cardiovascular regional medical center with 14 national key specialties, 2,852 licensed beds and 3.4 million annual outpatient visits, ranking top A++ nationally in hospital performance.
Since 1946
80 years of care
2,852
Licensed beds
3.4 million
Annual outpatient visits
14
Licensed beds
Appointments with this physician are booked through official hospital channels only, coordinated end-to-end by Orisene.
Why patients travel to China for treatment
Six reasons international patients now put China on their shortlist — from internationally aligned clinical capability to the policy channels that make treatment here genuinely reachable.
Clinical capability at international standard
Chinese hospitals deliver internationally aligned protocols, performing vast volumes of advanced robotic, minimally invasive, and complex transplant surgeries annually. This massive clinical data and highly specialized workforce ensure world-class outcomes, even for rare and complex cases.
Diagnostics and treatment in days, not months
A full medical workup that typically means months of waiting elsewhere is completed in China within 48–72 hours. Imaging, labs, and multidisciplinary consultations are integrated into a single visit, allowing treatment to commence immediately.
Transparent, itemised pricing
Chinese healthcare offers legally binding, itemised cost estimates before treatment begins, eliminating hidden fees or surprise billing. Due to national centralized procurement, total expenses remain 40–70% lower than comparable care in Western Europe or North America.
Policy channels that open the door
China facilitates access through 240-hour visa-free transit and dedicated medical visa routes. Policies like the Greater Bay Area drug pathway and Boao Lecheng’s pilot zone allow designated hospitals to administer innovative therapies not yet globally approved.
Consulting this physician, step by step
From the first message to the follow-up after you fly home, one coordinator, no paperwork on your side.
01
Day 0
- Share your storyA private consultation with an Orisene advisor, by message, phone or video. Send medical records in any language. Nothing is shared with the hospital yet.
02
Days 1–3
- Records review & matchingOrisene translates and presents your case to the right specialist. The hospital returns a tailored care plan, with costs itemised once that plan is confirmed.
03
Days 3–7
- Your consultationAppointments are booked through official hospital channels only. Your navigator accompanies every visit with real-time interpretation, so you can focus on one thing: being cared for.
04
After you fly home
- Reports & follow-upTranslated reports and prescriptions delivered within days, remote follow-up coordination with your physicians at home, and a standing line to your navigator.
Orisene offers English and multilingual services, a professional medical interpreter at every consultation, plus translation of your records, reports and prescriptions.
Ready to plan your consultation with Dr. Liao Ning?
Send your records in any language. An Orisene advisor will reply within 2 hours, present your case to the right specialist, and return a tailored care plan with itemised costs, before anything is booked. Simple. Private. Efficient.
Information Sources
This physician profile is compiled by the Orisene team from publicly available online sources and verified at the time of publication. Details may change, and physician availability is confirmed at the time of booking.
- Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital Official Expert Page: https://www.gdghospital.org.cn/Expertlistt/info_itemid_25360_subjectid_29.html
- PubMed Author Records (PEONY trial): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31647503/
Disclaimer: This information is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personal medical guidance.
Mention of any specific product, brand, or manufacturer is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Dr. Liao Ning.