Cancer Prevention and Control Division
The onset of an aging society in Japan is forcing considerable changes in health and medical care. The Cancer Prevention and Control Division studies the association between social systems and technical innovation in the field of health and medical care, i.e. health innovation. We aim to pursue new challenges, fusing science, technology, and industrial policy with health and medical care, unrestricted by the conventional frameworks of epidemiology and prevention.
Our Division has been responsible for the registration of cancer in the Kanagawa prefecture for over 30 years. Moreover, in 2016, we started “the Kanagawa ME-BYO prospective cohort study”, a large-scale genome cohort study. We draw on the epidemiological and public health fruits of research efforts like these to tackle new challenges as they rise to meet us.
Research activities are pursued in particularly close collaboration with the Kanagawa Prefecture, which has a Healthcare New Frontier policy and is promoting effective cancer counter measures, and with the Graduate School of Health Innovation, Kanagawa University of Human Services https://www.shi.kuhs.ac.jp/en/ , responsible for the upbringing of the next generation of innovators in health care and medicine (director Hiroto Narimatsu serves concurrently as a professor in the same School through a cross-appointment system).
Research Topics
Cancer Registration Activities
The division has been responsible for the registration of cancer in Kanagawa Prefecture since 1970. Currently, there is stored master data on more than a million cases, making this one of the largest databases in Japan. Registration of cancer in all of Japan started in 2016, and in the Kanagawa Prefecture we have constructed a system that continues in parallel with cancer registration for Japan as a whole, and regional cancer registration.
Cancer Screening Precision Management Activities
The precision of cancer screening (sensitivity and specificity) is calculated by cross-checking cancer registration and cancer screening data; it serves as an indicator of precision management. Activities started in 2019 as a collaborative study with the Yokohama Medical Association commissioned by Yokohama City. This is the first initiative in Japan that has taken on this challenge in large-scale municipalities.
Genome cohort study, “the Kanagawa ME-BYO prospective cohort study”
The purpose is to produce big data from comprehensive lifestyle and health check data, including genome information from the state of health, in order to clarify patient risk factors, and to use these insights in combatting pre-symptomatic disease (disease prevention). In 2016, a genome cohort was established in the western part of the prefecture collaborating in the Japanese Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study (J-MICC study). Surveys are proceeding with the object of recruiting 5000 people in the 5-year baseline survey period.
Director Narimatsu is acting as the principal investigator, and guest researcher Nakamura (Lecturer, Graduate School of Health Innovation, Kanagawa University of Human Services) is acting as the director of the cohort study office.
Analysis of the cohort data is also proceeding energetically in collaboration with J-MICC and the Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization.
Intervention Cohort Studies (ME-BYO and ME-RISE project)
These are advanced strategic initiatives tackling the evaluation and social implications of preventive medical interventions that use cutting-edge technology and take our genome cohort as their platform. With the support of those in charge of the Kanagawa Prefecture Healthcare New Frontier, together with private enterprise and academia, we were able to get the study partially underway in 2019.
- Health intervention with a patient risk prediction model as an indicator for intervention
This is a prospective randomized intervention study, using the operations research method of data envelope analysis, to demonstrate whether it is possible to prevent the development of hypertension by early health intervention in selected patients with a high risk of developing hypertension. As a result, using the genome cohort data, our research team has discovered the possibility of health intervention in preventive treatment. This is being carried out as a collaborative study with the Kanagawa Prefectural Health and Welfare University School of Health Innovation and Takata Hospital, Takata-machi, Hitashiokitama-gun, Yamagata-ken. - Program to develop a preventive care method using a healthcare robot
This is a study directed to the development of an effective preventive care program for elderly people, assessed as frail or pre-frail, making use of the robot suit HAL (Cyberdyne Inc.) hip type. In 2019, a feasibility study with 20 subjects was started as a collaborative study with the Shonan Robocare Center (KK), Keio University, and Kanagawa Prefectural Health and Welfare University School of Health Innovation. In 2020, a controlled randomized study started. Cases are currently being enrolled.
Development of a Medical Intervention System Making Use of AI
Augmented intelligence (AI), which has undergone development in recent years, and is being put into practical use, is known to have various functions, including the use of chatbots to support simulations of Parkinson's disease and autism, etc.
In order to increase the efficiency of the screening of hereditary cancer patients and increase the number of subjects screened, and to offer genetic examination to more people, a screening chatbot is being developed in collaboration with the Kanagawa Cancer Center Genetic Examination Department and AIT KK, making use of IBM Watson®. Research directed towards producing a prototype, clinical application, and application to combatting pre-symptomatic illness, is in progress.
Examples of Applications (AIT website)
