Prof Jimmy So

Beware of Scam Calls

NUHS Institutions will NEVER ask you to transfer money or disclose bank details over a call.
If in doubt, call the 24/7 ScamShield helpline at 1799, or visit the ScamShield website at www.scamshield.gov.sg.

Doctor Details

2024/03/11

Prof Jimmy So

Designations:

Head of Division & Senior Consultant, Division of General Surgery (Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery), Department of Surgery, National University Hospital
Head & Senior Consultant, Division of Surgical Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore
Professor, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Associate Director, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore

Qualifications:

MBChB, FRCSEd, FRCSG, FAMS, MPH

Specialties/Sub-specialties:

General Surgery

Clinical Disciplines/Programmes:

Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Upper Gastrointestinal Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery

Special Interests:

Surgical Oncology and Minimal Invasive Surgery for Gastric and Esophageal Cancer, Bariatric Surgery for Morbid Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, Surgery for Gastroesophageal Reflux, Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy for Achalasia, Peritoneal Carcinomatosis

Make an Appointment

Contact Us:

Find Out More:

Make an Appointment

Biosketch

Prof Jimmy So graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1991. He received his surgical training in National University Hospital (NUH), Singapore, specialising in Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Bariatric Surgery, Therapeutic Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Surgery. He undertook fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA and was appointed as visiting consultant surgeon in Esophageal and Gastric Surgery at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, UK.

Prof So has published more than 300 peer reviewed scientific papers (H Index of 62, Total citations > 14000 according to Google Scholar in May 2025) and received over S$30 million research grants for his research. He published his research in medical journals such as Lancet, Nature, Science, Cell, Nature Genetics, Gastroenterology, Gut, Cancer Discovery, Cancer Cell, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Surgery, BJS and JAMA Surgery.

In 2020, he received the Peritoneal Prize by International Society for the Study of Peritoneum and Pleura (ISSPP) which recognised the world's top researcher in the field of peritoneal carcinomatosis. He delivered the Yaya Cohen Memorial Lecture by College of Surgeons, Singapore in 2018 and was conferred the Research Excellence Award by National University of Singapore in 2022. He has delivered over 150 invited lectures internationally and has been invited regularly to speak at the International Gastric Cancer Congress, the Annual Scientific Meetings of Japanese Gastric Cancer Association and the Korean International Gastric Cancer Week.

Prof So has also presented his research at the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), International Society for Diseases of Esophagus (ISDE) and the World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery. He was the founding president of the Asia-Pacific Gastro-oesophageal Cancer Congress in 2006. Currently, he serves as Vice-President at ISSPP and is the Editor for Gastric Cancer, an official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association (IGCA).

Prof So established a multidisciplinary programme for Oesophagogastric cancers in NUH in 2005 and received fellowship training in gastric and oesophageal cancer surgery in Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. He also established the Centre for Obesity Management and Surgery (COMS) in NUH. He is a pioneer of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer, intraperitoneal chemotherapy and pressurised intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) in Singapore.

Awards

2025 - NUHS Tribute Awards 2025 - Distinguished Senior Clinician Award
2021 - Quality Improvement Project Awards (Merit)

Journals & Publications

Management of Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastasis: IGCA Working Group Consensus Statements.
Boshier PR, Ann Chia DK, Thrumurthy SG, Teh JL, Wobith M, Bencivenga M, Filippini F, Dumitra T, Burch M, Kim HI, Kobitzsch B, Kodach LL, Quik JSE, Long VD, de Neijs MJ, van der Sluis PC, Leon-Takahashi AM, Woo Y, Chevallay M, Framarini M, Morgagni P, Frejlich E, Grabsch HI, Markar SR, Marrelli D, Park DJ, Sundar R, Xu Z, Linn KK, Yang HK, Kitayama J, Zhu Z, Rha SY, Wijnhoven B, Yamashita H, Yong WP, de la Fouchardière C, Nilsson M, Ishigami H, Van Sandick JW, Lordick F, Badgwell BD, So JB. Br J Surg. 2026 Mar 17:znag027. doi:10.1093/bjs/znag027. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41841439
Mutational signatures and clonal hematopoiesis in intestinal metaplasia across countries with varying stomach cancer incidence. Huang, K. K., Hagihara, T., Lian, B. S. X., Ong, Z. X., Lim, S. K., Chong, R. H. H., Srivastava, S., Kang, J. X., Lee, M. Y., Tan, A. L. K., Lee, M., Ho, S. W. T., Abdul Ghani, S. A. B., Ng, C. S. Y., Liang, R., Liu, L., Tay, S. T., Ong, X., Zhu, F., Chen, H., Li, Z., Ang, T. L., Gotoda, T., Huang, R. J., Khor, C. J. L., Kim, H.-S., Lau, L. H. S., Lee, Y.-C., Takasu, A., Teh, M., Thian, M. Y., Tam, W. L., Lu, X., Wong, S. H., So, J. B. Y., Chung, H., Lee, J., Yeoh, K. G., Tan, P.; for the Singapore Gastric Cancer Consortium. Cancer Discov. 2026 Mar 1;16(3):497–520. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-0778
AQP5: A functional gastric cancer stem cell marker in mouse and human tumors. Lim HYG, Yada S, Murakami K, Lee BTK, Sagiraju S, Phuah P, Chen TC, Alvina FB, Tan SH, Kaslikar KK, Ruhazat NSB, Rajapakse MP, Murad KBA, Kancheva S, Tan LT, Mustafah S, So JBY, Barker N. Science. 2025 Dec 18;390(6779):eadr2428. doi:10.1126/science.adr2428. Epub 2025 Dec 18. PMID: 41411445
Spatial profiling of patient-matched HER2 positive gastric cancer reveals resistance mechanisms to targeted therapy. Sheng, T., Sundar, R., Srivastava, S., Ong, X., Tay, S. T., Ma, H., Uchihara, T., Lian, B. S. X., Hagihara, T., Kong, M. S., Xu, C., Ho, S. W. T., Huang, K. K., Tan, A. L. K., Ng, M. S. W., Toh, J., Ng, C. S. Y., Nasca, V., Pircher, C. C., Randon, G., Giordano, S., Corso, S., Lum, J. H. Y., Zhao J.J., Teh M., So J. B. Y., Sabella G., Prabhakar S., Lee J., Ng M. C. H., Shitara K., Gasparello J., Fassan M., Pietrantonio F., Tan P. Gut. 2025 Oct 30:gutjnl-2024-334667. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2024-334667
Staging laparoscopy for gastric cancer: European consensus. van Hootegem, S. J. M., Guchelaar, N. A. D., van der Sluis, K., Triemstra, L., Mönig, S. P., Rawicz-Pruszyński, K., Rosati, R., Morgagni, P., Erodotou, M., Solaini, L., De Manzoni, G., Polkowski, W., Puccetti, F., Giacopuzzi, S., Gisbertz, S. S., So, J. B. Y., Ruurda, J. P., van der Sluis, P. S. L., Lagarde, S. M., van Sandick, J. W., … Other Members of the IGCA European Chapter Collaborative Group on Staging Laparoscopy for Gastric Cancer. 2025. The British Journal of Surgery. 2025;112(9):znaf144. doi:10.1093/bjs/znaf144
IQGAP3 signalling mediates intratumoral functional heterogeneity to enhance malignant growth. Shimura M., Matsuo J., Pang S., Jangphattananont N., Hussain A., Rahmat M.B., Lee J.-W., Douchi D., Tong J.J.L., Myint K., Srivastava S., Teh M., Koh V., Yong W.P., So J.B.Y., Tan P., Yeoh K.-G., Unno M., Chuang L.S.H., Ito Y.Gut. 2025;74(3):364-386. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2023-330390
Spatially Resolved Tumor Ecosystems and Cell States in Gastric Adenocarcinoma Progression and Evolution. Ma H., Srivastava S., Ho S.W.T., Xu C., Lian B.S.X., Ong X., Tay S.T., Sheng T., Lum H.Y.J., Ghani S.A.B.A., Chu Y., Huang K.K., Goh Y.T., Lee M., Hagihara T., Ng C.S.Y., Tan A.L.K., Zhang Y., Ding Z., Zhu F., Ng M.S.W., Joseph C.R.C., Chen H., Li Z., Zhao J.J., Rha S.Y., Teh M., Yeong J., Yong W.P., So J.B.-Y., Sundar R., Tan P. Cancer Discovery. 2025;15(4):767-792. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-24-0605 [Journal Impact Factor ~33.3 (2024)]
Asia Pacific Gastroesophageal Cancer Congress (APGCC) 2024 consensus statement on stage 2 and 3 locally advanced gastric and Siewert 3 junctional adenocarcinoma. Masuda Y., Fong K.L., Yeo D., Yeo C., … So J., Tan J. Journal of Gastroenterology. 2025. doi:10.1007/s00535-025-02266-4
Asian consensus on normothermic intraperitoneal and systemic treatment for gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis. Zhu Z., Kitayama J., Kim H.-H., So J.B.-Y., Cao H., Chen L., Cheng X., Hu J., Imano M., Ishigami H., Jee Y.S., Kim J.-H., Kodera Y., Liang H., Liu X., Lu S., Mou Y., Nie M., Seo W.J., Wang Y., Wu D., Xu Z., Yamaguchi H., Yan C., Yang Z., Yin K., Yonemura Y., Yong W.-P., Yu J., Zhang J. Gastric Cancer. 2025. doi:10.1007/s10120-025-01631-9
Phase I PIANO trial—PIPAC-oxaliplatin and systemic nivolumab combination for gastric cancer peritoneal metastases: clinical and translational outcomes. Sundar R., Chia D.K.A., Zhao J.J., Lee A.R.Y.B., Kim G., Tan H.L., Pang A., Shabbir A., Willaert W., Ma H., Huang K.K., Hagihara T., Tan A.L.K., Ong C.-A.J., Wong J.S.M., Seo C.J., Walsh R., Chan G., Cheo S.W., Soh C.C.C., Callebout E., Geboes K., Ng M.C.H., Lum J.H.Y., Leow W.Q., Selvarajan S., Hoorens A., Ang W.H., Pang H., Tan P., Yong W.P., Chia C.S.L., Ceelen W., So J.B.Y. ESMO Open. 2024;9(9). doi:10.1016/ j.esmoop.2024.103681

Professional Memberships

Founding member, Centre for Obesity Management and Surgery (COMS)
Founding member, multidisciplinary programme for NUH's Esophageal and Gastric cancers (Upper GI Tumour Group), NUH
Member, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)
Member, Society of American Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES)
Member, International Gastric Cancer Association (IGCA)
Member, Society of Surgery for Alimentary Tract
Member, International Society of Diseases of Esophagus (ISDE)
Editor, Gastric Cancer, official journal of International Gastric Cancer Association
Editorial board member of the Journal of Gastric Cancer, Cancers and Translational Medicine
Vice President, International Society for Study of Pleura and Peritoneum (ISSPP)

2026/04/23