Annual Report 2024

Division of Survivorship Research

Maiko Fujimori, Masako Okamura, Ayumu Matsuoka, Tempei Miyaji,Kyoko Obama, Yuki Itami, Fumiko Kumada, Kiyomi Tanno, Keihi Lee, Rumi Tanaka, Wakako Yatsuoka, Rumiko Sugihara, Chihiro Unozawa, Ikumi Tanaka, Risa Otoshi, Ryo Yasumaru, Misaki Ayata, Rina Iwanaga, Hinako Sekihara, Kanae Nakao, Keiko Ozawa, Yuri Seo, Shiori Someya, Norie Koga, Masae Yokobori, Takahiro Kubota, Naho Noguchi, Kuniko Matsuyama, Machiko Ogawa, Erika Numazawa, Yosuke Uchitomi, Tatsuo Akechi, Shinichi Suzuki, Mariko Asai, Saki Harashima, Ken Kurisu, Miyuki Kurosaki, Tomoe Mashiko, Yuto Yamada, Masaki Fujiwara, Yuki Hashimoto, Annri Gen, Midori Kadowaki, Wataru Ishida, Ganan Devanathan

Introduction

 The Division of Survivorship Research is dedicated to building a society where people can live well with cancer. Our mission is to promote health through reducing treatment-related side effects and preventing complications, improving quality of life (QOL), addressing psychological and social challenges, and developing patient-centered care approaches.

The Team and What We Do

 We conduct clinical research to support the development of care and delivery methods tailored to the values and preferences of all people affected by cancer. Recognizing that supportive care and survivorship care remain global challenges, we collaborate with domestic and international experts in supportive therapy, palliative care, psychological care, data science, as well as with cancer survivors and advocates. We also serve as the administrative office for the Japan Cancer Survivorship Research Group (SaQRA), a multi-institutional collaborative research network.

Research Activities

1) SaQRA: Developed and published a research development map visualizing the overall landscape of cancer survivorship research. We received 8 new research consultations and approved 1 project as a SaQRA study, bringing the totals to 22 consultations and 3 approved projects. To disseminate outcomes, 10 seminars were held.

2) Suicide Prevention: Using data from the National Cancer Registry, we found that individuals diagnosed with cancer immediately after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had a higher risk of suicide than those diagnosed earlier. Among head and neck cancer patients, a longitudinal questionnaire and interview survey showed a one-year suicidal ideation prevalence of 6.5%, with risk factors including young age, employment status, and psychiatric history.

3) Living with Cancer: A questionnaire survey of survivors revealed that loneliness affects depression, while social support, resilience, financial toxicity, and stigma are associated factors, especially pronounced in the AYA generation. A scoping review on older survivors’ QOL identified unmet needs and emphasized the necessity of comprehensive, interdisciplinary care focusing on geriatric assessment, socioeconomic disparities, and symptom management.

4) Supportive, Palliative, and Psychological Care: RCTs demonstrated the effectiveness of app-based interventions. In elderly cancer patients, interventions based on geriatric assessment and communication support improved physician-patient communication, reduced adverse events, and increased treatment continuation. In patients with advanced cancer, interventions facilitated prognosis discussions without increasing anxiety and enhanced physicians’ empathic communication.

Clinical Trials

 We are actively conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effectiveness of app-based interventions in supportive care, palliative care, and decision-making support for cancer patients.

Education

 Seminars organized by the Division

• Behavioral Science and Survivorship Seminar: 10 sessions, total participants 1,810
• Behavioral Science Research Meeting: 12 sessions, total participants 162

 Graduate Program Collaborations

• Waseda University, Graduate School of Human Sciences
• Nagoya City University, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Cognition, and Behavioral Medicine

Future Prospects

 As a reliable hub for survivorship research, we aim to create treatments and care approaches that combine global universality with local applicability. Through this, we strive to contribute to a society where people can live better with cancer.

List of papers published in 2024

Journal

1. Lin YX, Pham TN, Weng LC, Fang CK, Hsieh MJ, Chang YC, Fujimori M, Tang WR. Comparing the Effectiveness of Online and Face-to-Face Teaching for Medical Students in Shared Decision-Making Communication Skills Training. Journal of general internal medicine, 40:1403-1410, 2025

2. Ogata D, Namikawa K, Nakano E, Fujimori M, Uchitomi Y, Higashi T, Satake T, Morizane C, Yamazaki N, Kawai A. Comprehensive epidemiology of melanoma at all sites: insights from Japan's National Cancer Registry, 2016-2017. International journal of clinical oncology, 30:194-198, 2025

3. Yamada Y, Fujiwara M, Nakaya N, Otsuki K, Shimazu T, Fujimori M, Hinotsu S, Nagoshi K, Uchitomi Y, Inagaki M. Trends in uptake of cancer screening among people with severe mental illness before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: A repeated cross-sectional study. PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, 4:e70062, 2025

4. Okamura M, Fujimori M, Otsuki A, Saito J, Yaguchi-Saito A, Kuchiba A, Uchitomi Y, Shimazu T. Patients' perceptions of patient-centered communication with healthcare providers and associated factors in Japan - The INFORM Study 2020. Patient education and counseling, 122:108170, 2024

5. Obama K, Fujimori M, Boku N, Matsuoka A, Mori K, Okizaki A, Miyaji T, Okamura M, Majima Y, Goto S, Shimazu T, Uchitomi Y. Shared decision-making support program for older patients with advanced cancer using a question prompt list and geriatric assessment: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of geriatric oncology, 15:101778, 2024

6. Harel D, Wu Y, Levis B, Fan S, Sun Y, Xu M, Rice DB, Boruff J, Markham S, Ioannidis JPA, Takwoingi Y, Patten SB, Ziegelstein RC, Cuijpers P, Gilbody S, Vigod S, Akena D, Benedetti A, Thombs BD. Comparison of Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression - Depression subscale scores by administration mode: An individual participant data differential item functioning meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, 361:674-683, 2024

7. Uneno Y, Mori M, Saito J, Otsuki A, Kuchiba A, Sakurai N, Nakaya N, Fujimori M, Shimazu T. Awareness, information sources, and beliefs regarding palliative care in the general population in Japan: a nationwide cross-sectional survey (INFORM study 2023). Japanese journal of clinical oncology, 54:1171-1179, 2024

8. Hasei J, Ishida H, Katayama H, Maeda N, Nagano A, Ochi M, Okamura M, Iwata S, Ikuta K, Yoshida S, Fujiwara T, Nakata E, Nakahara R, Kunisada T, Ozaki T. Utilizing the Metaverse to Provide Innovative Psychosocial Support for Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Patients with Rare Cancer. Cancers, 16:2617, 2024

9. Li SZ, Chen SY, Chang YL, Fang CK, Fujimori M, Tang WR. Predicaments and coping strategies in implementing cancer truth-telling: a qualitative content analysis. Supportive care in cancer, 32:602, 2024

10. Akechi T, Furukawa TA, Hashimoto H, Harada Y, Ito Y, Furukawa Y, Kitano A, Maeda N, Kojima Y, Tada Y, Watanabe A, Kurata A, Matsubara T, Sakurai N, Uchitomi Y, Okamura M, Fujimori M. Smartphone-based distress screening, information provision, and psychotherapy for reducing psychological distress among AYA cancer survivors: protocol for a fully decentralized multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial. Japanese journal of clinical oncology, 54:1351-1357, 2024

11. Springer F, Matsuoka A, Obama K, Mehnert-Theuerkauf A, Uchitomi Y, Fujimori M. Identifying central dimensions of quality of life including life-related values, preferences and functional health in older patients with cancer: a scoping review protocol. Frontiers in psychology, 15:1455825, 2024

12. Asai M, Ogawa Y, Hirayama T, Sukigara N, Yoshikawa E, Furutani S, Fujimori M, Akechi T, Suzuki S. Behavioral activation program for reducing depressive symptoms among the bereaved of cancer patients: A feasibility and preliminary effectiveness study in Japan. Palliative & supportive care, 23:e8, 2024

13. Kouno N, Takahashi S, Komatsu M, Sakaguchi Y, Ishiguro N, Takeda K, Fujioka K, Matsuoka A, Fujimori M, Hamamoto R. Introduction of AI Technology for Objective Physical Function Assessment. Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland), 11:1154, 2024

14. Kouno N, Takahashi S, Takasawa K, Komatsu M, Ishiguro N, Takeda K, Matsuoka A, Fujimori M, Yokoyama K, Yamamoto S, Honma Y, Kato K, Obama K, Hamamoto R. Analysis of Inertial Measurement Unit Data for an AI-Based Physical Function Assessment System Using In-Clinic-like Movements. Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland), 11:1232, 2024