Welcome from the President

Welcome from the President of JASTRO
(The Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology)

President, Takashi Uno

I was designated as the President of the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology (JASTRO) at the Board of Directors’ Meeting of JASTRO’s 35th Annual Meeting in Hiroshima.

JASTRO was established as a general incorporated association in 1988, with the aim of advancing the field of radiation oncology in Japan. In 2012, it became a public interest incorporated association and in 2013, it was certified as a member society of the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences.

At the end of 2022, 35 years after its establishment, the number of members exceeded 4,200, with the number of the certified radiation oncologists numbering more than 1,400. During this period, radiotherapy has made dramatic progress, along with the progress of science and technology, and high-precision and minimum invasive therapy suitable for the various pathologies of individual cancer patients, from localized cancer to distant metastasis, has become available in daily medical care. Our social responsibility to patients, their families, and other related academic societies in Japan and abroad is becoming even greater.

The first President, Masahiro Hiraoka, achieved infrastructure development and the acquisition of social status through various means such as turning JASTRO into a public interest incorporated association and reforming the membership system. Thanks to the efforts of the second President, Yasumasa Nishimura, and former President Naoyuki Shigematsu, JASTRO made significant progress in a variety of aspects, including further stabilization of its financial base, support for the new specialist system, the spread of particle-beam radiation therapy and the expansion of insurance coverage, and public relations activities for radiation therapy. The number of medical physicists, specialists, and nurses is gradually increasing, and the system for providing radiation therapy to cancer patients is being further enhanced. In this context, in order to further develop Japanese radiotherapy, there is a need to revitalize the activities of academic societies more than ever before.

1) Promotion of academic activities and international collaboration

The Annual Meeting is the most important academic activity and the largest project of JASTRO. Although the program is left to the Congress President, the Society is doing its utmost to satisfy many members. The High-Precision External Beam Radiotherapy Group, Brachytherapy Group, and Radiation Biology Group are increasingly active, and new study groups are being considered. We publish the journal JRR six times a year and the JASTRO NEWSLETTER four times a year to introduce JASTRO's activities to our members. We will further deepen our collaboration with the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), collaborate with the Chinese Society for Radiation Oncology (CSRO), the Korean Society for Radiation Oncology (KOSRO), and the Taiwan Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (TASTRO), and lead the Federation of Asian Organizations for Radiation Oncology (FARO) to increase JASTRO's presence.

2) Clinical activity

Advances in image-guided technology have made it possible to more accurately capture the position and movement of lesions and risk organs in the body, and have established cutting-edge cancer radiation therapy technologies such as automatic position correction on the treatment bed, respiratory synchronization, tracking, interception, adaptive radiation therapy technologies, and changes in medical physics dose treatment methods. The number of particle therapy facilities is increasing, and the number of indicated diseases is expanding based on the large amount of clinical data. I would like to develop boron-neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and radioisotope therapy, the importance of which has become strongly recognized in recent years, in cooperation with related academic societies. On the other hand, the impact on small and medium-sized facilities and community medical care is presenting major issues in the field of radiation therapy, such as equipment that can handle particle-beam radiation therapy and Adaptive Radition Therapy, the concentration of radioisotope therapy in large-scale facilities, the discrepancy between the technical penetration of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and the facility accreditation system, the system for providing brachytherapy, and the shortage of treatment specialists in the community. In addition, the improvement of the functions of treatment-related equipment and its maintenance are accompanied by increasing costs, and we are in a vulnerable situation where a careful balance between staff sufficiency, the prevalence of radiotherapy, and the number of patients must be maintained. JASTRO will continue to regard these as urgent issues to be resolved and will strive to take effective measures with an eye on the future. In order to provide radiation therapy safely, we will also focus on building and strengthening a new system related to quality control of radiotherapy.

3) Research Activities

Radiation biology and medical physics are indispensable for the advancement of radiation oncology. For example, the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors and FLASH have reminded us of the importance of biological radiation findings, along with advances in physics and science and technology. Until now, basic research has been pursued deeply and widely in each subcommittee, etc., but JASTRO will further expand the scope of research in the future, and support not only original research, but also members' overseas exchanges for the purposes of research. We will also strengthen our collaboration with the Japan Radiation Oncology Studu Group (JROSG) to promote clinical research regardless of disease. We will ensure that radiation oncologists are involved in the creation of guidelines related to various cancer treatments. We believe that it is necessary to increase the number of radiation oncologists in related academic societies and to foster young doctors with a research-oriented mind who can be deeply involved in clinical research at each academic society.

4) Educational activity

In addition to seminars for medical students and residents, nursing seminars, and seminars for radiation oncologists, we will strive to enhance educational programs, including educational lectures at the annual meeting, ESTRO schools, various seminars, e-learning, and developing various guidelines. We promote the recruitment of doctors who aspire to perform radiation therapy, medical physicists, radiation therapy quality control specialists, radiological technologists specializing in radiation therapy, and nurses certified in cancer radiation therapy. Japan will focus on fostering young and female members who can lead the development of radiotherapy around the world, and support and promote participation in the activities of the Society. On the other hand, I would like to consider creating an environment where veterans and retired specialists can learn new knowledge and skills. JASTRO aims to create a society in which the work style of everyone involved in radiation therapy is a dream for young people who aspire to the future.