Annual Report 2024

Department of Psycho-oncology

Full-time staff psycho-oncologist: Hiromichi Matsuoka, Rika Nakahara, Ryoichi Sadahiro, Junji Yamaguchi, Tatsuto Terada, Saho Wada, Eri Nishikawa

Full-time staff psychologist: Yuko Yanai, Yuko Ogawa, Ayako Kayano, Emi Takeuchi

Part-time staff psychologist: Nano Mishima, Satoshi Watanabe, Sayaka Jinno, Kazuko Matsumoto

Introduction

The Department of Psycho-Oncology was reestablished in September 1995, together with establishment of the Psycho-Oncology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute East (reorganized to Division of Psycho-Oncology, Research Center for Innovative Oncology in 2005). One of the most important clinical activities of the department is the management of cancer patients’ behavioral and social problems as well as their psychological distress. Furthermore, this division’s aim is to alleviate distress of patients, patients’ families and our staff. Research activity is focused on studying the psychosocial influence of cancer on the quality of life of patients, their families, and oncology staff.

The Team and What We Do

The Department of Psycho-Oncology consists of seven full-time staff psycho-oncologists, four full-time staff psychotherapists and four part-time psychotherapists. The department provides two major services: a clinic for outpatients (five days a week) and consultation for referred inpatients. The purpose of the psychiatric consultation is to diagnose and treat the mental distress and cancer related psychological problems of patients who have been referred to by their attending physicians. Since 1999, the department has played an active role as a member of the palliative care team. There is a palliative care team meeting with other members of the team every Wednesday. Additionally, a multicenter joint clinical teleconference to discuss difficult cases is held biweekly Thursday evening with staff members from 6 cancer center hospitals and 4 university hospitals.

In 2024, a total of 2093 patients were referred for psychiatric consultation (Table 1). The mean age was 63.8 years old and 66.0 percent of the referrals were inpatients. One thousand and sixty-five (50.9%) of the whole referred patients were females. The most common cancer referrals were patients with head and neck (14.4%), followed by lung cancer (12.2%), esophageal cancer (8.8%), pancreatic cancer (7.3%) and breast cancer (7.3%).

Table. Psychiatric Consultation Data in 2024(n=2093)

	n	%
Age（years）	63.8
Female	1065	50.9
Inpatients	1382	66.0
Cancer Type
Head and neck	302	14.4
Lung	256	12.2
Esophageal	184	8.8
Pancreas	153	7.3
Breast	152	7.3
Diagnosis
Delirium	301	14.4
Adjustment disorders	134	6.4
Major Depressive disorder	103	4.9
Others	718	34.3
No diagnosis	837	40.0

Research activities

We conducted an Advanced Medical Care B clinical trial funded by AMED with the aim of adding delirium prevention to the indications for ramelteon and successfully completed enrollment of 766 patients. In addition, as an ancillary study to the clinical trial on delirium prevention using Yokukansan, published in FY2020, we are developing biomarkers to predict the efficacy of Yokukansan in collaboration with Tsumura & Co. under the support of AMED.

Currently, a pilot randomized controlled trial of a behavioral activation therapy program is being conducted in four domestic institutions targeting cancer patients with depression in Japan. Of the target sample size of 38 patients, 21 have been enrolled. In the preceding single-center pre–post comparison study, feasibility and preliminary efficacy were demonstrated, and the results have already been published in an international journal.

Clinical trials

An Advanced Medical Care B clinical trial aimed at adding delirium prevention to the indications for ramelteon, as well as an international collaborative trial of pregabalin and duloxetine for pain, were conducted with funding from AMED. A pilot randomized controlled trial using a behavioral activation therapy program for patients with depression is currently underway.

Academia / Training

We are working to develop educational programs for psycho-oncologists, pharmacists, nurses, and psychologists. In the future, we intend to establish a training system that enables doctors, psychotherapists, and other professionals involved in psychiatric oncology to learn systematically, and to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of cancer patients in Japan by producing specialists in psychiatric oncology throughout the country.

The Future

We are now developing the ideal system of early palliative care for all cancer patients.

List of papers published in 2024

Journal

1. Takeuchi E, Sadahiro R, Ogawa Y, Matsuoka H. Narrative review of cancer bereavement care before loss. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2025
2. Sadahiro R, Ohbuchi K, Nakaya T, Manabe S, Wada S, Yamaguchi T, Sugimoto M, Shimizu K, Sato T, Esaki M, Daiko H, Yoshimoto S, Kanemitsu Y, Kawai A, Ishikawa M, Matsui Y, Aoki K, Ueno T, Matsuoka H, Uezono Y. Metabolome Profiling of Yokukansan in Preventing Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Cancer Patients: A Reverse Translational Study. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2025
3. Yamaguchi J, Sadahiro R, Wada S, Nishikawa E, Terada T, Nakahara R, Matsuoka H. Potential Effectiveness of Yokukansan and Lemborexant as Alternative Candidates to Benzodiazepines to Prevent Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Delirium in the Cancer Perioperative Period: A Case Report and Literature Review. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2025
4. Iimura Y, Ishiguro H, Hashimoto H, Nojima M, Oyamada S, Mori K, Ariyoshi K, Kuroda S, Hirakawa S, Fujiwara N, Yokota T, Zenda S, Matsuoka H, Boku N. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study evaluating the preventive effect of diclofenac cream on capecitabine-related hand-foot syndrome: study protocol of J-SUPPORT2401/JORTC-SUP06 (J-DIRECT). Int J Clin Oncol. 2025
5. Terada T, Hirayama T, Sadahiro R, Wada S, Yamaguchi J, Nishikawa E, Nakahara R, Washizuka S, Matsuoka H. Perioperative switching to lemborexant for prevention of delirium in older cancer patients with insomnia taking GABA_A receptor agonists: a retrospective study. Support Care Cancer. 2025
6. Yamaguchi J, Sadahiro R, Wada S, Nishikawa E, Terada T, Nakahara R, Matsuoka H. Organic Psychosis due to Lung Cancer Metastasis Accompanied by Severe Psychiatric Symptoms Treated With Blonanserin Transdermal Patch: A Case Report and Literature Review. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2025
7. Yamaguchi J, Sadahiro R, Wada S, Nishikawa E, Horiuchi K, Terada T, Nakahara R, Matsuoka H. Delirium due to Trousseau syndrome in a patient with cancer and a history of recurrent infection-induced delirium: a case report and mini literature review. Ann Palliat Med. 2025
8. Fujita Y, Matsuoka H, Chiba Y, Tsurutani J, Yoshida T, Sakai K, Nakura M, Sakamoto R, Makimura C, Ohtake Y, Tanaka K, Hayashi H, Takahama T, Tanizaki J, Koyama A, Nishio K, Nakagawa K. Dual single‑nucleotide polymorphism biomarker combination for opioid selection to treat cancer pain. Mol Clin Oncol. 2024
9. Hasuo H, Ishiki H, Matsuda Y, Matsuoka H, Kosugi K, Xing M, Akiyama Y, Matsumoto Y, Ishikawa H. Trigger point injections for myofascial pain in terminal cancer: a randomized trial. Pain Med. 2025
10. Hasuo H, Mori K, Matsuoka H, Shimazu M, Shizuma H, Morita Y, Ishikawa H. Effects of complete home-based biofeedback therapy on insomnia disorders in patients with cancer. Front Sleep. 2025
11. Yamaguchi J, Sadahiro R, Wada S, Nishikawa E, Terada T, Nakahara R, Matsuoka H. Zolpidem Withdrawal Delirium Developed as Severe Psychiatric and Physical Symptoms in a Patient With a History of Ovarian Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2026
12. Yamaguchi J, Sadahiro R, Wada S, Nishikawa E, Terada T, Nakahara R, Matsuoka H. Development of cefepime-induced encephalopathy in a patient with depression and rectal cancer: A case report. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2025
13. Yamaguchi J, Sadahiro R, Wada S, Nishikawa E, Terada T, Nakahara R, Matsuoka H. Delirium derived from dementia with Lewy bodies in the cancer perioperative period: a case report. Ann Palliat Med. 2025
14. Yamaguchi J, Sadahiro R, Wada S, Nishikawa E, Terada T, Nakahara R, Matsuoka H. Consciousness disturbance due to lithium carbonate intoxication developed in a patient with cancer and bipolar affective disorder: A case report and literature review. PCN Rep. 2025
15. Ikegami T, Sadahiro R, Yamaguchi J, Nishikawa E, Wada S, Terada T, Nakahara R, Matsuoka H. A case of diverse psychiatric and functional impairments following immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. PCN Rep. 2026
16. Sadahiro R, Koyama R, Kuchiba A, Wada S, Shimizu K, Yoshida T, Aoki K, Uezono Y, Matsuoka H, Saito E. Medical cost of postoperative delirium after highly invasive cancer resection: a prospective cohort study. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2026
17. Hasegawa T, Okuyama T, Sadahiro R, Uneno Y, Okamoto Y, Kanno Y, Wada S, Inada S, Igarashi Y, Tanimukai H, Fujisawa D. Quality Indicators in Psychological Care for Patients With Serious Illness: A Systematic Review. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry. 2026
18. Fukuda H, Arai K, Hashimoto E, Sekine K, Arai Y, Hiraoka N, Hirata A, Yamashita M, Narumi K, Kikuchi A, Sawai E, Sawada Y, Sunami A, Mizoguchi Y, Sadahiro R, Aikawa Y, Henmi Y, Okumura G, Sugiyama E, Takahashi M, Shibata T, Nishito Y, Mizuno H, Nara S, Esaki M, Koyama S, Kitano S, Yoshida T, Ochiai A, Tsunoda H, Aoki K. MIF-CD74 axis facilitates MDSC infiltration in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cancer Lett. 2026
19. Fujisawa D, Yoshikawa E, Fujimori M, Arai S, Kobayakawa M, Kurata A, Kayano A, Ichikura K, Igarashi Y, Otani H, Yanai Y, Baba T, Okajima Y, Abe A, Uneno Y, Okamura M, Matsumoto Y, Asaumi K, Hisamura K, Momino K, Takeuchi E, Sato A, Tamura N, Imai A, Sadahiro R, Okuyama T. JPOS/JASCC clinical guidelines for psychological distress in adult cancer patients: a summary of recommendations. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2025