Message from the General Director

According to the latest cancer statistics from the National Cancer Center, there were 988,900 newly diagnosed cancer cases in 2021 (555,918 males, 432,982 females), and 384,111 cancer deaths in 2024 (221,786 males, 162,325 females). The probability of a Japanese person being diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime has reached "1 in 2" for both men (63.3%) and women (50.8%), making it a national disease. On the other hand, the five-year relative survival rate for those diagnosed between 2009 and 2011 has improved to 64.1% for both sexes combined, and cancer is changing into a "disease to live with for a long time." Due to the characteristic that cancer is common among the elderly, a further increase is expected in a super-aging society. Meanwhile, detailed measures are required, such as employment support for children, the adolescent and young adult (AYA) generation, and the working generation.

Personalized medicine is a key direction for cancer treatment today. As precision medicine is becoming a reality through genomic diagnosis using next generation sequencers (NGS), Keio University will promote the 4th phase of the Cancer Professional Training Program to meet the social challenge of balancing advanced treatment with the maintenance and improvement of quality of life (QOL).

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has set the overall goal of the project as "promoting cancer countermeasures that leave no one behind and aiming to overcome cancer with all citizens." Under this overall goal, sectoral goals have been established for "cancer prevention," "cancer medical care," and "coexistence with cancer." As one of the foundations supporting these three pillars, the ministry is promoting the "strengthening of human resource development." Therefore, the project name has been set as the "Multidisciplinary Human Resource Development Plan for Next-Generation Cancer Care," and we will promote the following three themes in response to the three sectoral goals.

To practice the "promotion of cancer countermeasures that leave no one behind," detailed responses tailored to patient needs are required. However, there is a need in the field for (1) specialists in pain treatment, care, and end-of-life care who understand and empathize with patient suffering, (2) specialists with various professional skills in personalized medicine and the diagnosis and treatment of rare cancers, and (3) interdisciplinary specialists who can provide safe medical care to elderly cancer patients or those with comorbidities related to heart and kidney function. Currently, these resources are insufficient. In this project, we aim to solve these issues by strengthening cooperation among participating schools and training specialists in these areas where human resource shortages are evident, focusing on related clinical departments and multidisciplinary collaboration, which are becoming increasingly important as treatments become more sophisticated.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Japan, and establishing efficient preventive medicine is an important issue. Advances in AI technology using medical big data are leading to the development of high-precision diagnosis and prognosis prediction methods. To deploy such high-precision identification and prediction capabilities into cancer prevention, it is necessary to train cancer medical professionals who understand the principles of AI from a medical perspective. Furthermore, as survival rates improve, care for cancer survivors and their families has also become a major issue. By acquiring the basic knowledge and skills required for providing individualized medical care and care, we will train multidisciplinary human resources who can practice holistic care that leaves no one behind for patients with hereditary tumors and cancer survivors.

With the accumulation of knowledge in molecular biology, new treatments such as cancer gene panel testing, which is the foundation of personalized medicine, and CAR-T therapy are being introduced into clinical practice. However, it cannot be denied that only some patients benefit from these new technologies. To achieve a breakthrough in overcoming cancer, it is essential to train human resources who are well-versed in personalized medicine in the era of whole-genome analysis and who can handle the development and management of new drugs and technologies through basic and clinical trials. We will train individuals who learn about the basic knowledge of cancer drugs, clinical research design/planning, implementation coordination, and related regulations, and who can build treatment strategies for individual patients using drug discovery or regulatory science based on this knowledge. We will also train individuals with a wide range of knowledge regarding drug discovery research, such as medical statistics and cutting-edge medical technology development using big data and AI. Furthermore, we will foster next-generation human resources who have the evaluative perspective of how these advanced medical treatments affect the physical functions and lives of patients.

At Keio University, we have established Master's and Doctoral Programs in the graduate school, along with the following seven intensive courses.

Partner schools include the Institute of Science Tokyo, International University of Health and Welfare, Juntendo University, Tokai University, Tokyo Dental College, and Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences. We will also focus on human resource exchange and the mutual provision of educational opportunities, striving to train leaders who will drive next-generation cancer care.

Keio University

General Director of the Cancer Professional Training Plan

Tetsuya Tsuji