Yasuaki Arai, MD, on the Status of Interventional Oncology in Japan

Yasuaki Arai, MD, Chairman of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at and Director of the National Cancer Center Hospital, shared some thoughts on the status of interventional oncology therapy in Japan at the 2015 Synergy Miami interventional oncology meeting.

My experience spans over 30 years and many kinds of interventional radiology therapies, however my focus is on interventional oncology. I am also the president of the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology.

In Japan, there are many patients with liver tumors, and I’ve performed many kinds of intra-arterial treatments, like TACE and intra-arterial chemotherapy. I have an intense interest in palliative care as well. Interventional radiology is a very powerful tool for palliative care that uses therapies like ascites shunting, bone cement, and stenting strictures of certain organs.

However, in Japan, the field of interventional radiology and interventional oncology is not very strong. Of course for some benign diseases, such as bilious disease, interventional oncology is used in the same way as in western countries. Interventional oncology in Japan is robust and we have performed many procedures, but unfortunately medical oncologists in Japan are not aware of everything involved in interventional oncology. They don’t know what kind of management interventional radiology can achieve.

I work in the National Cancer Center, which is the flagship cancer center in Japan, so using this position I’ve made a strong push for interventional oncology across the oncology field. I believe the most powerful tool we can use to push interventional oncology forward is evidence. In Japan we have many clinical trials under way -- randomized, controlled, prospective phase I and phase II studies. If we can gather very clear evidence, our results will be included in oncology guidelines. This is a very important step, and has been my strategy for moving interventional oncology forward. If we succeed in including our interventional radiology techniques in oncology guidelines, then medical oncologists must become familiar with the techniques in following the guidelines.

Interventional radiologists who are still in training will also influence the future of interventional radiology and interventional oncology. It is my hope that our young Japanese interventional radiologists will grow the field.