Nasopharyngeal cancer starts in the nasal passages above the back of the throat in an area called the nasopharynx, and is one of the most common forms of head and neck carcinomas. It is rare in the West but common in Southeast Asia and southern China, particularly Guangdong, where it affects up to 25 people, mainly men, per 100,000.

Recent evidence indicates that the incidence of the disease and mortality rates are in decline, possibly as a result of lifestyle changes, improved screening and advances in medical care, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy and better imaging. And research at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has led to a new approach in the staging system for clinicians to manage the cancer and provide improved treatment plans for patients.

Professor Anne Lee Wing-Mui is the Head and Clinical Professor of the Department of Clinical Oncology at HKU. Professor Lee is also the Chief of Service for the Clinical Oncology Center at The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital in Mainland China, and the Chair of Specialty for Oncology at Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital.

Professor Lee has been vigorous in her research into nasopharyngeal cancer, and had a leading role in 'revolutionising' the staging system, which is crucial not only for predicting prognoses, but also for guiding clinicians in treatment decisions. She has been instrumental in unifying different systems into the best evidence-based system that has been universally accepted and globally implemented. 

In addition to leading randomised clinical trials on chemoradiotherapy, Professor Lee also studied the wide scope of issues that contribute to the continual improvement in different aspects of cancer management. She was awarded the University's Sir Patrick Manson Gold Medal for her outstanding research on chemoradiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer. 

Professor Lee graduated from HKU with MBBS and MD degrees, and has since dedicated herself to the development of clinical oncology. For the first 36 years of her professional career, she served cancer patients in public hospitals. She built the Department of Clinical Oncology at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH) from scratch into a centre renowned for outstanding holistic care, innovation in technological development and clinical research.

Having held Honorary Clinical Professorial positions at HKU's Department of Clinical Oncology since 2000, Professor Lee took up her current appointments in 2015. She was appointed the Deputy Chief of Service of Clinical Oncology for Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) in 2017 and is also an Honorary Consultant at the departments of Clinical Oncology at QMH and PYNEH.

Professor Lee serves on the editorial boards of many international journals. Currently she is an Associate Editor of Oral Oncology, and a Member of the Board of Editors of Journal of Clinical Oncology, Radiotherapy & Oncology, and Clinical Oncology.

She is also involved with many international organisations, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Union for International Cancer Control. Locally, she contributes to specialist training and is currently Vice-President of the Hong Kong College of Radiologists. Besides professional societies, she also serves local community organisations, and is currently Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society, fostering public education and advocacy for cancer control.