Annual Report 2018
Preface
Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics (C-CAT) was established on June 1, 2018 in the National Cancer Center to collect and store the genomic as well as clinical information of cancer gene panel tests (cancer gene profiling tests) that are conducted under the Japanese national health insurance system.
To discuss a necessary platform/infrastructure for cancer genomic medicine in Japan, "The Expert Meeting for Cancer Genomic Medicine Promotion Consortium" was held in the Spring of 2017 at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). The Expert Meeting recommended to start cancer genomic medicine, at first, only in qualified hospitals. The MHLW accordingly set 11 Designated Core Hospitals for Cancer Genomic Medicine and 135 Cooperative Hospitals for Cancer Genomic Medicine as of March 2019. Another important proposal from the Expert Meeting is to build a central datacenter, C-CAT, to aggregate genomic as well as clinical information of gene-panel tests.
C-CAT has 27 staff including Director, Deputy Director and Executive Advisor to Director, and contains the Section of Cancer Genomics Repository, Section of Genome Analysis Platform, Section of Knowledge Integration, Section of Data Science Strategy, Section of Information Technology Support, and Administration Office. C-CAT will collect patients' genome data and clinical information upon informed consent, and generate "CKDB findings" with clinical annotation for the nonsynonymous mutations in every patient. To discuss logistics of cancer genomic medicine, The Liaison Council of Cancer Genomic Medicine Institutions was held in May 2018 and February 2019. The Council for Cancer Genomic Medicine Promotion Consortium was also held in August 2018 and March 2019.
For the expected approval of cancer gene panel tests in the fiscal 2019, C-CAT is working hard to construct a platform that efficiently conducts cancer genomic medicine in Japan.
Hiroyuki Mano, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics