Feng’s team advanced the understanding of biomarkers in prostate cancer

Felix Y. Feng, a genitourinary cancer research leader, died on Dec. 10, 2024. He was 48.

This article is republished with permission by NRG Oncology.

Dr. Feng was the former NRG Oncology Genitourinary Cancer Committee chair and an RTOG Foundation member. After years of dedicated and enthusiastic commitment to the NRG and previously the RTOG Genitourinary Cancer Committee, chairing or co-chairing 13 research protocols for NRG and RTOG, Dr. Feng was appointed committee chair in March 2018, following in the footsteps of Dr. Howard Sandler, his mentor. Dr. Feng was also a member of the RTOG Foundation Board of Directors.

Outside of his work with NRG Oncology and RTOG Foundation, Dr. Feng was the vice chair for translational research in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Urology and Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. 

At UCSF, Dr. Feng also developed the Feng Lab which utilized the expertise of biologists and computational scientists to advance our understanding of cancer biology and ultimately improve patient outcomes. 

His research team produced the first clinical-grade biomarker panels that predict prostate cancer response to radiation or hormone therapy after surgery, as well as a plasma-based cell-free DNA biomarker that predicts resistance to PARP1 inhibitors. 

My good friend Dr. Felix Feng was not only a brilliant physician and scientist but also a beloved friend, colleague, mentor, and devoted family man whose generosity and kindness left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him. 

Karen Knudsen

Additionally, Dr. Feng’s laboratory has helped identify the mechanisms by which genes, such as PARP1, DNAPK, SChLAP1, and PCAT1, contribute to prostate cancer progression and performed key preclinical therapeutic studies that have contributed to the initiation of clinical trials investigating PARP1 inhibitors, DNAPK inhibitors, and bromodomain inhibitors in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

“My good friend Dr. Felix Feng was not only a brilliant physician and scientist but also a beloved friend, colleague, mentor, and devoted family man whose generosity and kindness left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him. It’s no exaggeration to say that he was loved by all, deeply,” Karen Knudsen, executive strategic advisor and immediate past CEO of the American Cancer Society, said to The Cancer Letter.

Knudsen is also a professor emerita at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health and Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Feng presented during The Feng Symposium, a prostate cancer revolution conference established in 2024 as a product of Dr. Feng’s unwavering commitment to advancing research. 

In his keynote speech, Dr. Feng delivered an emotional tribute to what was the driving force behind his career trajectory and the power he held based on the many people who supported him along the way. 

In turn, he noted that as much as he learned from his mentors in his career, he learned just as much, if not more, from his mentees. You can listen to this impactful presentation in this issue. 

“Last year, more than 200 people from around the world gathered on short notice to honor Felix at a symposium celebrating his extraordinary contributions to science and humanity,” Knudsen said. “To continue this celebration, we plan to hold the Dr. Felix Feng Symposium annually—on the day prior to ASCO-GU—ensuring his legacy inspires future generations. Felix, we miss you deeply and are more determined than ever to advance the fight against cancer in your honor.”

NRG Oncology and RTOG Foundation are beyond thankful to the years of service and the unmatched passion Dr. Feng brought to our organization and the lives of many people impacted by cancer. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this very difficult time.

Tributes

Several of Feng’s colleagues provided tributes to Dr. Feng.

“Felix was a towering figure in the realm of prostate cancer research and served as the esteemed leader of the GU Committee for NRG Oncology for many years. His extraordinary vision, unwavering leadership, and remarkable mentorship propelled numerous successes for our organization. With Felix’s passing, the fields of radiation oncology and cancer research have lost a brilliant scientist and an exceptional leader, while many of us have lost a wonderful friend and colleague. However, Felix’s legacy will endure—not only through the impactful trials and scientific advancements he championed but also through the countless patients he tended and the many researchers he inspired along the way.”

“Felix was an extraordinary leader, mentor, scientist, doctor, entrepreneur, family man, and friend. He was a visionary who saw in the NRG GU group the potential to have a trial in every disease state and to integrate biomarkers to personalize systemic therapy and he successfully built a large portfolio that did both of those things. He often said that the NRG GU group would be his greatest professional legacy, which is saying a lot given how much he accomplished in other professional realms. Through NRG and other endeavors, he directly made a positive impact on hundreds of investigators who are much better off for having known him and who will continue his legacy of investigation and mentorship to improve the lives of patients everywhere.”

“We will all remember Felix as the consummate physician scientist, who was dedicated to the pursuit of discovery and the pursuit of better options for cancer patients. I will remember Felix as a good student, a great colleague and an amazing friend.”

“Felix’s leadership of the NRG Oncology GU Cancer Committee elevated an outstanding program to an even higher level of science, engagement, and productivity. As with any group Felix engaged with, the members of this committee are forever touched by the enthusiasm, passion, and creativity that Felix brought to our program. He will be forever missed!”

Jacquelyn Cobb contributed to this story.