Dear Japan Children’s Cancer Group (JCCG) members and supporters, I am Atsushi Manabe of Hokkaido University, Japan, and I am pleased to announce that I have been elected President of JCCG. I will be fulfilling my responsibilities as the third President of JCCG, succeeding Dr. Shuki Mizutani, the first President, and Dr. Soichi Adachi, the second President. The vice-chairmen, Dr. Katsuyoshi Koh and Dr. Tatsuro Tajiri, both have extensive practical experience. Dr. Yasuhiro Okamoto, newly appointed Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Hematology/Oncology Section, and Dr. Akihiro Yoneda, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Solid Tumors Section, will also join me in this new organization. I look forward to working with them for the next two years.

JCCG was started in December 2014 as a non-profit organization by combining JPLSG (Japan Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Study Group) and the Joint Organization for Clinical Trials on Pediatric Solid Tumors into one. It is the only organization in Japan that includes all university hospitals, children's hospitals, and general hospitals in Japan specializing in pediatric cancer treatment and research. It brings together specialists in all areas related to pediatric cancer, including pediatrics, pediatric surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, radiology, pathology, biostatistics specialists, and basic researchers.

JCCG provides a variety of essential facilities to support clinical research for children with cancer. These include central diagnosis services for pathology, immunology, molecular biology, and diagnostic imaging. The Data Center and the Biobank for patients’ specimen are also the central component of JCCG. We have experts in data management, biostatistics, and ethics, in addition to all healthcare professionals with all areas of pediatric oncology expertise. Currently, JCCG has 200 participating facilities, and the number of patients who have cooperated in clinical trials over the past 10 years has reached 22,891 for hematologic tumors such as leukemia and 10,772 for solid tumors such as brain tumors. During that time, we have been involved in a total of 91 clinical trials, 52 for hematologic tumors and 39 for solid tumors, and the data accumulated at JCCG is not only useful for follow-up of each patient, but can also be used for new research in the future. Much of our research is funded competitively, but not enough, and thankfully, the number of donors who give to "improve the treatment of childhood cancer" has increased over the years.

Recently, several joint clinical trials with JALSG (Japan Adult Leukemia Study Group) are on track. The results of the clinical trial for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in pediatric and AYA patients were very positive, and the results were published in the international scientific journal, THE LANCET Haematology, in May 2023. We are also actively planning and carrying out more and more international collaborative clinical trials such as Leukemia with Down syndrome, liver tumors, and germ cell tumors.

The current challenge is that the infrastructure for continuing pediatric clinical trials in Japan is still fragile. While public funding is available for the execution of clinical trials, funding for the infrastructure that supports research, such as central diagnostics, data centers, and specimen storage, is inadequate and difficult to manage. Therefore, we are seeking to create a mechanism to obtain continuous support from the government, the private sector, and the public, while conducting public relations activities.

On the other hand, there have been some positive changes in the past few years. The issue of drug lag in childhood cancer is now attracting more attention. Collaboration between industry, academia, and government, led mainly by the National Cancer Center, is gradually progressing. In addition, with the growing interest in genome medicine, support for genome research on childhood cancer has been enhanced. Now is the time to link these developments with the development of infrastructure.

After graduation from Hokkaido University School of Medicine, I conducted clinical research based at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo as a pediatric oncologist and also studied basic research during my study periods in Europe and the U.S. I returned to Hokkaido University in 2019 and am involved in pediatric cancer care in the community. What I have learned from these experiences is that in order to improve treatment outcomes for pediatric cancer, it is essential to harmonize basic research, clinical research, the skill and passion of individual medical professionals, the collaboration of multiple professions supporting patients, and the citizens, local governments, and national government supporting these efforts. We would like to ask for the participation and further cooperation of nurses, pharmacists, and other comedical staff in the future. It is also one of my dreams to see more and more young researchers spread their wings to the world.

We look forward to working together with you in our efforts for pediatric oncology research, and appreciate your support and cooperation for the JCCG.

July 1, 2023