Felix Y. Feng, MD, Leading Radiation Oncologist and Genitourinary Cancer Researcher, Dies at 48

Felix Y. Feng, MD, a renowned radiation oncologist and leader in genitourinary (GU) cancer research, died of cancer on December 10, 2024. He was 48 years old.1

Feng was the vice chair for translational research in the Department of Radiation Oncology, as well as the George and Judy Marcus Distinguished Professor, the director of the Benioff Initiative for Prostate Cancer Research, and a professor of Radiation Oncology, Urology, and Medicine, at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).2

Feng, who was also a prominent scientist, author, and researcher, focused his work on GU cancer care and research.1 He held particular interest in translational genomics and preclinical therapeutics for patients with prostate cancer, focusing on the discovery of prognostic and predictive biomarkers, as well as novel therapies to overcome treatment resistance.

“Felix Feng, MD, was an exceptional scientist – a once-in-a-generation scientist – and his staggering intellect and scientific insights led to his remarkable scientific accomplishments,” Eric J. Small, MD, deputy director and chief scientific officer of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and codirector of the UCSF Prostate Cancer Program, stated in a news release.1 “But as important as his scientific successes were, Felix could build communities of individuals, collaborations and teams like no one else. He will be profoundly missed by his many friends and colleagues at UCSF and across the nation.”

Feng grew up in Palo Alto, California, earning his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in biological sciences with distinction and honors in 1998.1,2 He went on to study medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, receiving accolades for his research and academic achievements. After earning his MD in 2002, he completed his postdoctoral research fellowship and his residency in radiation oncology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and joined the faculty as an assistant professor of radiation oncology in 2010. 2 He went on to become the director of the translational genomics division, co-leader of the multidisciplinary clinic for prostate cancer patients, and director of the radiation oncology department’s GU cancer program.

After joining UCSF in 2016, he held multiple leadership positions at the institution, as well as in national and international cancer research organizations.1 He was a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Genitourinary Cancer Steering Committee, served as the chair of the Biology Scientific Track for the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and was the chair of the Genitourinary Translational Research Program for the RTOG/NRG national clinical trials group. In 2024, Feng and other researchers established The Feng Symposium with the aim of bringing a diverse group of cancer researchers together to discuss novel treatment approaches for patients with prostate cancer. The Fend Symposium will take place again in February 2025.

Over the course of his career, Feng was credited with 434 publications and was ranked in the top 1% of scientists in the United States per an internationally recognized metric that measured his productivity and impact of his scholarly publications. He earned several awards and accolades, including the ASTRO Clinical Science Award, Basic Science Award, Translational Research Symposium Merit Award, and Resident Clinical Research Award.

Feng was also regarded as a highly dedicated mentor in the field of oncology and received the ASTRO Mentorship Award for his efforts in 2024. In December of the same year, the American Society for Clinical Oncology endowed the new Felix Feng Prostate Cancer Young Investigator Award, which will fund a young prostate cancer investigator annually.

“Felix was a giant in the field of prostate cancer and had an inspiring vision of integrating genomics data with experimental biology, allowing us to test the function of the genetic mutations that were being discovered, and developing new ways of treating prostate cancer,” Jonathan Chou, MD, PhD, a GU oncologist at UCSF, added in the news release.1 “Felix did it all, and was a true renaissance man, leading landmark studies not only in biomarker development in radiation oncology trials and advancing artificial intelligence tools for prostate cancer, but also pioneering approaches to explore the genomic, epigenomic, and 3D chromatin landscapes from tiny biopsy samples of metastatic prostate cancer. Because he could so easily navigate between the clinical and research spheres, he had an all-encompassing bird’s eye view of prostate cancer research, always knowing where the puck was going next, and being among the first to get there.”

References

1. Krigel M. Felix Feng, giant in the field of prostate cancer, dies at 48. UCSF. January 21, 2025. Accessed January 22, 2025. https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/01/429356/prostate-cancer-expert-felix-feng-dies-at-48
2. Felix Feng, MD. UCSF Department of Radiation Oncology. Accessed January 22, 2025. https://radonc.ucsf.edu/about/our-team/felix-feng-md/