National Cancer Center Hospital

Project Summary

The Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) is a collaborative research network involving around 190 medical institutions across Japan that conducts investigator-initiated clinical trials with the aim of establishing the best possible medical care, including standard treatments and diagnostic methods as first choice for patients based on scientific evidence.
Cancer treatment involves three main approaches: drug therapy, surgical therapy, and radiotherapy. Many types of cancer are treated with multimodal therapy, combining at least two of the three methods. As pharmaceutical companies do not undertake any development of surgical therapy, radiotherapy, or multimodal therapy, such advancements must be driven by researchers.
JCOG consists of 16 specialized groups focused on adult solid tumors and is continuously conducting about 100 clinical trials.
More than 180 clinical trial results have been published in various cancer treatment guidelines, contributing to the establishment of improved standard treatments.
In recent years, JCOG has actively held discussions with patient groups and is making efforts to design clinical trials based on patients’ needs. JCOG’s research activities are supported by the cooperation of many patients and healthcare professionals. We will continue working to generate evidence through clinical trials in order to establish more effective cancer treatments.