Greeting
President: Akihiko Gemma, M.D., Ph. D.
(President, Nippon Medical School)
I am honored to announce that the 58th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Clinical Oncology will be held for three days from October 22 (Thursday) to 24 (Saturday), 2020 at the Kyoto International Conference Center and Grand Prince Hotel Kyoto. The Japan Society of Clinical Oncology is an academic society with more than 17,000 members that takes a multidisciplinary approach beyond individual organs and clinical field and plays a key role in the development of cancer treatment and care in Japan through projects and programs, including this annual meeting. I am honored to serve as the president of this important 58th meeting.
In recent years, we have seen a significant development in cancer treatment and care. I think it is well known that rapid progress has been made in the development of precision medicine, such as molecular targeted therapy, advancements in minimally-invasive localized therapies, and dramatic improvements in cancer immunotherapy. However, at the same time, there have also been striking developments in the area of basic research using revolutionary new techniques, such as imaging technologies, endoscopic diagnoses and treatment, molecular diagnostic technology, radiotherapy technologies, multidisciplinary treatment using new medicine and comprehensive research methods, gene editing/engineering, and bioinformatics. More creative actions and dynamic developments are expected in the future that look beyond individual organs.
To accomplish this mission, it is important to not only find multidisciplinary approaches beyond individual organs and clinical field, but to also promote stronger and more extensive collaboration that goes beyond research methods, such as engineering. The main theme of the 58th annual meeting is “Humanity-Centered Technology”, which aims to discuss cancer treatment and care in this new era of technology, with a strong awareness of responses to technology and of moving in a direction to create a more interdisciplinary meeting. The patient-family relationship is also undergoing a period of transformation together with improvements in cancer treatment outcomes. Physicians and medical professionals must engage daily in providing medical care with a greater awareness of situations surrounding their patients. I hope that all will be able to sense the meanings behind the words and visuals in promotional videos and posters.
Based on the above background, we are moving ahead with a variety of programs for the 58th meeting, including the (1) future development of robot-assisted surgery, (2) the present and near future of medical AI, (3) current state of cancer genome medicine, (4) summary of ASCO2020 and ESMO2020 and new therapeutic strategy , (5) advances in cancer treatment and care and new relationships with patients and families, and (6) international symposiums, such as ASCO and ESMO.
In Kyoto, a place where both the tradition and the future exist side-by-side, I hope that we will be able to touch upon and actively discuss the results of the latest research and technologies from various fields. I am looking forward to seeing you in Kyoto in 2020.
