Regional Cancer Treatment Centers (Advanced Type) and Cancer Genome Cooperation Hospitals

About regional cancer treatment cooperation centers (advanced type)

Designation requirements for regional cancer treatment cooperation centers

1.Medical treatment system

1. Medical treatment function
   Establish a framework for providing multidisciplinary treatment, standard treatment, surgical therapy, radiotherapy, drug therapy, and palliative care, promoting regional cooperation, and providing second opinions.
2. Medical staff
   Assign doctors with specialized knowledge and skills and non-doctors involved in medical treatment.
3. Medical facility
   Installation of treatment equipment and treatment rooms to provide specialized cancer medical care and a smoking ban on the premises.

2.Medical treatment results

1. Number of in-hospital cancer cases registered per year: ≥500, number of malignant tumor operations per year: ≥400, total number patients that underwent cancer-related drug treatment per year: ≥1,000, total number patients that received radiation therapy per year: ≥200, and number of patients that newly received intervention by a palliative care team: ≥50.

3.Framework for providing training

1. Provide palliative care workshops for doctors, dentists, and residents involved in cancer treatment, and other medical professionals engaged in palliative care.
2. Promote radiation therapy and drug treatment, including early diagnosis and side effect response, provide training in palliative care, etc.
3. Hold joint conferences in which medical professionals from local medical institutions, etc., cooperating in medical care, also participate.
4. Provide comprehensive training in cancer nursing for in-hospital nurses regularly.

4.Information collection and provision framework

1. Set up a cancer consultation support center to collect and provide various information on cancer and provide consultation support to effectively assist patients in receiving cancer revention and cancer - related medical care.
2. Register cancer cases within the hospital according to the standard ational method.
3. Provide information on and raise awareness of the treatments available at the hospital, cancer　genomic medicine, and treatment/support for AYA eneration patients.

5.Clinical research and investigative research

1. Cooperate in research studies that are highly necessary for policy and public health.
2. Make public clinical research results.

6.Establishing a PDCA cycle.

7.Medical safety management.

Designation requirements for regional cancer treatment cooperation centers (advanced type)

A regional cancer treatment cooperation center (advanced type) is required to meet the following designation requirements, in addition to the designation requirements (1 through 7) mentioned above.

1. It meets at least two “desirable”⁽¹⁾ requirements for regional cancer treatment cooperation centers.
2. It provides advanced radiotherapy, including intensity-modulated radiotherapy and nuclear medicine therapy.
3. It has established a palliative care provision system by setting up a palliative care center similar to the palliative care center of a prefectural cancer treatment cooperation center.
4. It provides reinforced consultation support services by assigning medical staff, including nurses, social workers, and psychiatric social workers to the Cancer Counseling and Support Center.
5. There is an audit committee on medical safety comprising members, including external committee members, to ensure that its safety management system related to medical security undergoes evaluation by a third party.

＊“Desirable”⁽¹⁾ ：designation requirements are classified into “generally required, essential, desirable,”etc.

About Cancer Genome Cooperation Hospitals

Hospitals, where patients can receive cancer genomic medical care, are designated by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. These hospitals include 12 “Cancer Genome Core Hospitals” located across Japan which conduct clinical trials as medical institutions with advanced functions that lead cancer genomic medical care ⁽¹⁾, 161 Cancer Genome Cooperation Hospitals that provide treatment in collaboration with Cancer Genome Core Hospitals, and 33 Cancer Genome Center Hospitals that are positioned between Core Hospitals and Collaboration Hospitals and are authorized to make independent treatment decisions.

In Saitama, there are two Cancer Genome Center Hospitals (Saitama Cancer Center and Saitama Medical University International Medical Center) and four Cancer Genome Cooperation Hospitals (Saitama Medical Center (designated in April 2018), Japanese Red Cross Saitama Hospital, Dokkyo Medical University Saitama Medical Center, and Saitama Children’s Medical Center).

Roles of Cancer Genome Cooperation Hospitals

1．Practice genome medicine⁽¹⁾

1. Perform oncogene panel testing ⁽²⁾ for patients who have undergone standard treatment for rare cancer and cancer of unknown primary, and are physically strong enough to continue undergoing drug therapy (anticancer drug, molecular target drug, etc.)
2. Explain oncogene panel testing, and hold expert panels.⁽³⁾
3. Provide an introduction to treatments, including drug therapy.
4. Provide genetic counseling.
5. Register tests result on C-CAT.⁽⁴⁾

＊Cancer genomic medicine⁽¹⁾： It aims to identify treatments that are more suitable for the patient by investigating genetic changes in cancer cells, thereby understanding the characteristics of the patient’s cancer.

＊ Oncogene panel testing⁽²⁾： A method of searching for a suitable cancer treatment drug for each individual by examining the cancer tissue. There are tests covered by insurance and self-funded tests. Treatments covered by insurance and self-funded treatments are offered at our hospital.

＊Expert Panel⁽³⁾：A conference to discuss recommended treatments after the genome analysis of the sample is completed.

＊C-CAT⁽⁴⁾： It is installed at the Center For Cancer Genomics And Advanced Therapeutics, National Cancer Research Center.