Annual Report 2020

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 genome 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 100 Cooperative Hospitals for Cancer Genomic Medicine in April 2018. Another important proposal from the Expert Meeting is to build a central datacenter, C-CAT, to aggregate genomic as well as clinical information of the cancer genomic medicine. In June 2019, two cancer gene panel tests were approved for the national health insurance reimbursement. As of the end of the fiscal year 2020, hospitals for Cancer Genomic Medicine included 12 Designated Core Hospitals, 33 Designated Hospitals and 161 Cooperative Hospitals.

C-CAT has 44 staff members, including Director, Deputy Director and Executive Advisors to Director, and contains Section of Cancer Genomics Repository, Section of Genome Analysis Platform, Section of Knowledge Integration, Section of Data Science Strategy, Section of Information Technology Support, Section of Liaison for Cancer Genomic Medicine Hospitals and Administration Office. C-CAT will collect patients' genomic data and clinical information upon informed consents, and generate "C-CAT findings" with clinical information for the candidate driver mutations found in each patient. To discuss logistics of cancer genomic medicine, The Liaison Council of Cancer Genomic Medicine Institutions was held first in May 2018, and has been held six times in total as of March 2021. The Council for Cancer Genomic Medicine Promotion Consortium was held four times during the period.

It was quite remarkable that the Cancer Genome Medicine was launched just in time in 2019 without any major incident, considering the very limited time of preparation, one year from the official installation of C-CAT in 2018, as well as the big futuristic vision of the data sharing expected to the Cancer Genomic Medicine hospitals, genetic test companies and C-CAT. The data sharing through C-CAT consists of two parts, one for clinical purpose among the hospitals for Cancer Genomic Medicine, and the other for the research and development by a wide variety of researchers including those in the industrial sector. The first clinical-purpose data sharing has been started in September 2020.

The sharing of the C-CAT data for the research and development, so-called the "secondary usage", will be one of the major challenges in the coming year of 2021. Another important prospect in 2021 is the introduction of the first "liquid biopsy", a cancer gene panel test on circulating tumor DNA, into the national health insurance system, which will further boost the number of patients seeking Cancer Genomic Medicine.

We are deeply grateful for the invaluable and essential cooperation, support and understanding by the staff in the Cancer Genomic Medicine hospitals, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the National Cancer Center, and last but not least, all the patients and family members, who have participated and agreed to offer their vital genomic and clinical information for the data sharing scheme via C-CAT for both clinical and research purposes.

Hiroyuki Mano, M.D., Ph.D.

Director, Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics