Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology

Figure 1. Dr Isaiah J. Fidler (left) and Dr Jun Yokota (right)

Metastasis is undoubtedly the major problem in cancer treatment, and the difficulty in the control of metastasis is related to its complex, multi-factorial nature; metastasis may involve alterations in cell adhesion and motility, matrix degradation, angiogenesis, signal transduction, growth factors/cytokines and their receptors, and cell-surface glycosylation. Genetic and epigenetic abnormalities have been increasingly recognized, which may lie behind the multiple processes constituting metastasis. Several new `metastasis genes' have been reported. Molecular therapy for metastasis based on antibody-mediated targeting or gene therapy strategy is being introduced to clinics. The Symposium successfully covered those diverse topics from various disciplines while keeping them quite cohesive and highly interactive. In the Concluding Remarks, Dr Fidler stressed that an understanding of biology is most important and essential in the development of a novel, effective therapy for metastasis.

The Symposium series is one of the major activities of The Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund, which was originally established in 1968 by the founder and the Honorary President, Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamatsu, and her college classmates. The Symposium was inaugurated in 1970 by the late Dr Waro Nakahara, who was the 5th President of the National Cancer Center and worked closely with H.I.H. Princess Takamatsu in the fight against cancer. From its inception in 1970 through to the current year of 1998, the Symposium has played host to a total of 861 scientists from 29 countries. The next Symposium, the 30th, will be held in November 1999 under the tentative title of `New Frontiers of Mechanistic Studies in Animal Cancer'.

T. Yoshida

Awards

1998 Keio International Medical Prize

The Keio Medical Award, which is funded by Keio University, Tokyo, and celebrates researchers with outstanding efforts in biomedical fields, has chosen two researchers in Japan and the US as 1998 award winners: Dr Moses J. Folkman of Harvard Medical School, Cambridge and Dr Katsuhiko Mikoshiba of the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo. Each researcher will receive 20 million yen.

Dr Folkman discovered and identified the angiogenetic factors which are secreted by cells in their division and proliferation. Furthermore, other factors were also found which have the opposite function to angiogenetic factors, those inhibiting the angiogenesis of surrounding cells. Dr Mikoshiba performed molecular biochemical analysis of development and differentiation of nervous systems. In particular, he identified and determined a molecular structure of a receptor on the nerve cells to inositol tri-phosphate using a mouse model, and further defined its important roles in the development and differentiation of the central nervous system from an early stage.

Cancer Statistics Digest Age-Standardized Cancer Incidence Rates in Japan Incidence rates of cancer by site, sex and calendar year (1975-1993) in Japan are shown. All rates are age-standardized by 1985 Japanese model population. Cancer of the stomach and uterus show decreasing trends and cancer of the lung, colon, rectum, and breast show increasing trends. W. Ajiki1 and S. Yamamoto2 1Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Osaka 2National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo Source: The Research Group for Population-based Cancer Registration in Japan, 1998

Viewing the News from Abroad

Sperm Banking at Diagnosis

Sperm banking, cryopreservation of sperm prior to treatment, for male patients is not a major but an important mean against infertility caused by intensive chemotherapy. After treatment, men with testicular cancer tend to have lower sperm counts than men with other types of cancer, except for Hodgkin's Disease. Anthony Thomas M.D. of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and other specialists are urging physicians to pay attention to this quality-of-life issue and not to forget to ask the men at the time of diagnosis to consider sperm cryopreservation as a first line of defence against future infertility. He said that cryopreservation should be considered to all of these patients even though 20% to 30% will need future therapy. The initial cost is $500 to $600 and a maintenance cost is about $100 a year. Banking sperm when the patient is first seen also avoids unpleasant procedures that may be needed after chemotherapy (JNCI 1998;90:1693). In Japan, only a few medical communities in Tokyo, Chiba and Nagoya run sperm banks, and their users are limited to young male patients who will receive intensive chemotherapy, such as stem cell transplantation, highly causative of infertility. Recently, it has be announced that the Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital and Cancer Center is also going to open a sperm bank.

NCI's Appropriation for 1999 Up Nearly $400 Million

The National Cancer Institute's 1999 appropriation is $2 927 187 000 up nearly $400 million from the 1998 appropriation of $2 542 559 000, a 15.1% increase (JNCI 1998;90:1699). The National Institute of Health's total 1999 appropriation is $15 652 386 000, up just more than $2 billion or 14.9% over the 1998 appropriation of $13 622 386 000. Other large dollar increases went to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (up about $211 million to $1794 billion in 1999) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (up about $221 million to $1570 billion in 1999).

International Debate Over Stomach Cancer Diagnoses Nearing Resolution

Issue 21 of the JNCI refers to the controversial paper by Ronald J. Schlemper et al. in the Lancet of 1998, in which he demonstrated the difference between the histological diagnostic classification of gastric cancer by four Japanese pathologists and those by four pathologists from Western nations. Four Japanese and one German pathologists diagnosed early gastric cancer by the nuclear, cellular and structural atypia even though there is no invasion to adjacent tissue, however, most pathologists in Western countries diagnosed cancer by the evidence of invasion. The high incidence of early gastric cancer in Japan is well known, however, a certain percentage of early gastric cancer may not be cancer at all by Western standards.

In September, Dr Schlemper teamed up with Canadian pathologist Robert Riddell M.D., to invite 31 pathologists from 12 countries to discuss the issue. After 2 days, they arrived at a consensus for a common language that legitimizes the use of the word `cancer' to designate a non-invasive gastric tumor, but at the same time emphasizes the importance of invasion as a diagnostic criterion (JNCI 1998;90:1590-1). In the editorial of the October issue of this journal, Mitsuru Sasako M.D. of National Cancer Center discussed this problem in conjunction with therapeutic difference in Japan and Western countries. He likened the goal of the pathologist to the task of being able to tell an ostrich from a dinosaur before it has hatched, and the Japanese pathologists believe they can recognize the difference between the eggs of a dinosaur and the eggs of an ostrich (JJCO 1998;28:585-7).

According to Masayuki Itabashi M.D., of the Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital and Cancer Center, one of the leading pathologists who joined the consensus meeting in September said `Every participant recognized that noninvasive areas often show gradual transition to definitely invasive areas in single tumor. We have learned much in the comparison of focal findings of nuclear, cellular and structural atypia in a tiny biopsy specimen, with those of the resected specimen from the same patients with invasive gastric cancer'.

Compiled and edited by H. Ohkura

Announcements

VII. International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma

Date: June 2-5, 1999
Location: Palazzo dei Congressi, Lugano, Switzerland
Deadlines:
Submission of Abstracts - January 31, 1999
Early Registration - March 31, 1999
Closing Date Registration - May 20, 1999
Further information: Mrs Olga Jackson (Conference Secretariat)
via Fusoni 4, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
Tel: +41-91921-4561
Fax: +41-91921-4563
E-mail: lymphcon{at}dial.eunet.ch

1st Milan Breast Cancer Conference

Pan-Pacific Lymphoma Conference

Date: July 20-23, 1999
Location: The Hyatt Regency Kauai, Hawaii, USA
Sponsor: The University of Nebraska Medical Center
Further information: Center for Continuing Education
University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985651
Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5651, USA
Tel: +1-402-559-4152
Fax: +1-402-559-5915
E-mail: conteduc{at}unmc.edu

To include information of upcoming cancer-related events in the News Section, please send details, including the title, date, place, organization, contact name, address (fax number and e-mail address if any) to the news department of the editorial office of JJCO who also welcome suggestions for news stories. Items in this section are selected for publication and edited by the editorial office at their discretion.

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