Annual Report 2021
Division of Health Services Research
Takahiro Higashi, Tomone Watanabe, Yuichi Ichinose, Yoko Yamamoto, Ryoko Rikitake, Taisuke Ishii, Mei Matsuki, Yu Mizushima, Rei Goto, Hiroko Suketomo, Takehiro Sugiyama, Yasuo Hamamoto, Momoko Iwamoto, Hideaki Kobayashi, Soshiro Ogata, Shunsuke Murata, Yuri Ito, Masato Ohta, Izumi Inoue, Taro Tomizuka, Junna Sakane, Kiyomasa Nakatsuka, Tamaki Kakuwa, Kaoru Konno, Yuriko Nishikawa, Miyori Sato, Tomoko Matsuoka, Junko Koseki
Introduction
The Division of Health Services Research conducts research that helps to improve cancer care in Japan by conducting meaningful evaluations of health systems and health policy performance.
The Team and What We Do
1. Cancer registry-linked DPC database
As part of our ongoing initiative to monitor the quality of cancer care in Japan using a database of cancer registry-linked DPC data, we continued building the database for cancer patients diagnosed in 2018. After collecting DPC data from a total of 580 hospitals, adherence to standards of care, as previously devised based on the clinical guidelines, was analyzed using existing quality indicators across cancers. Analysis was performed on over 50 Quality Indicators (QIs) before the results were fed back to each participating hospital. We presented the final results as a paper-based report.
2. Rare Cancer Control Policy
The Division has been assigned the administrative task of facilitating the Working Group for Rare Cancer Control Policy by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MoH). We have updated an online information platform that patients can access freely in order to collect information regarding the current care practice for patients with soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities and eye tumors across Japan. We also developed an online information platform and recruited facilities in the field of neuroendocrine neoplasms (neuroendocrine tumor and neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC)).
3. Monitoring and Evaluation of National Cancer Control Programs
The Division of Health Services Research continued to implement an evaluation program in order to evaluate the recent Cancer Control Policy in Japan. We reported and made recommendations for a second patient experience survey and a pediatric version of the patient experience survey conducted in 2019, as well as additional analyses. We prepared for the third patient experience survey, which is to be conducted in 2023.
We have launched another project to assess the overall function of designated cancer care hospitals (DCCHs) across Japan. We conducted an exploratory study searching for an ideal care model for these types of hospitals. Moreover, we discussed the requirements for DCCHs with experts in the fields and reported the results to the MoH.
Education
We hosted four medical students from The University of Tokyo for a clerkship in Public Health. Due to the COVID pandemic, we conducted online and in-person lectures on the activities of the Institute for Cancer Control and Prevention. In addition, we invited adjuvant researchers from other universities/research institutes.
Future Prospects
The Division envisions facilitating evidence-based policymaking and improving the care of cancer patients by monitoring the performance of cancer policy and quality of care among cancer treatment centers across the country. To do so, the Division is working to provide an information exchange platform along with the solid baseline data for specialists and various stakeholders, designed to foster evidence-based exchange of ideas for cancer policy planning.
List of papers published in 2021
Journal
1. Noda-Narita S, Kawachi A, Okuyama A, Sadachi R, Hirakawa A, Goto Y, Fujiwara Y, Higashi T, Yonemori K. First-line treatment for lung cancer among Japanese older patients: A real-world analysis of hospital-based cancer registry data. PloS one, 16:e0257489, 2021
2. Okuyama A, Tsukada Y, Higashi T. Coverage of the hospital-based cancer registries and the designated cancer care hospitals in Japan. Japanese journal of clinical oncology, 51:992-998, 2021
3. Motoyama S, Maeda E, Iijima K, Anbai A, Sato Y, Wakita A, Nagaki Y, Fujita H, Minamiya Y, Higashi T. Differences in treatment and survival between elderly patients with thoracic esophageal cancer in metropolitan areas and other areas. Cancer science, 112:4281-4291, 2021
4. Watanabe T, Ichinose Y, Matsuki M, Wakita T, Toida T, Masuda M, Higashi T. Experiences of patients with cancer at health care facilities in Japan: results from a nationwide survey. BMC health services research, 21:1180, 2021
5. Watanabe T, Goto R, Yamamoto Y, Ichinose Y, Higashi T. First-Year Healthcare Resource Utilization Costs of Five Major Cancers in Japan. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18:2021
6. Kimura T, Kawai K, Kandori S, Nitta S, Kojo K, Nagumo Y, Negoro H, Okuyama A, Higashi T, Kojima T, Nishiyama H. Impact of centralization in primary retroperitoneal sarcoma treatment: analysis using hospital-based cancer registry data in Japan. International journal of clinical oncology, 25:1687-1694, 2020