Cancer treatment with immunotherapy

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In the near future, cancer is expected to affect one in two people—anybody can develop cancer. While early-stage cancer is likely to be cured, the treatment outcomes of advanced cancer is not good, even if all three major therapies—chemotherapy, surgical treatment, and radiation therapy—are utilized.

From the 1980s, Dr. Rosenberg’s group in the United States started the attempt to treat cancer (mainly, melanoma) using immune cells. As the result of repeated improvements, the method became far more effective in combination with the special therapies. At present, this method has been found to reduce the size of cancer lesion in one in two patients. In Japan, activated lymphocyte therapy has been shown to prevent the recurrence of hepatoma after surgery, and it is increasingly attracting attention as the fourth therapy following the three major cancer therapies.

Initially, immunotherapy was regarded as a therapy contributing to the improvement of QOL (quality of life) without side effects in general because the benefits of immunotherapy had not been appropriately evaluated by the standard method for assessing the efficacy of anticancer therapies focusing on tumor size reduction rate. But the assessment method of immunotherapy has gradually been established with the growing recognition that immunotherapy should be evaluated not by reduction of tumor size, but by survival benefit. Currently, studies and development of new treatment are underway, aiming for great prolongation of patients’ lives by maximizing the efficacy of immunotherapy in combination with the main three standard cancer treatment methods, and ultimately for fundamental cure of the disease.

Our clinic has a CPC (cell processing center). Through a number of improvements of the culture method under the approval of a strict ethics committee, we made it possible to provide　immune cell therapy using a large amount of highly active NK (natural killer) cells. We have confirmed in actual clinical cases that tumor size is dramatically reduced by combined use of this new cancer immunotherapy and oral anticancer agents that are associated with relatively fewer side effects. In addition, various data showed that the immunity of our patients was dramatically improved by the administration of highly active NK cells prepared by our clinic.

We will continue to make research efforts every day so that the highly active NK cell therapy of the New City Osaki Clinic leads to better survival and prevention of recurrence in many patients, and strive to help cancer patients to give them courage to fight cancer.

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Sanehiko Fujita

Dr. Fujita focuses on community healthcare and is committed to contribute to eradication of cancer through medical consultation, treatment and preventive medicine.
As a family doctor, he aims to have open communication with patients, and to provide compassionate medical care.

Profile

Graduated from Nihon University School of Medicine in 1967.
After one year of internship, entered the Third Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine.
Studied gastroenterology in general and mainly specialized in hepatology.
Obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1975.
Took up a position as lecturer at the Nihon University School of Medicine in 1976.
Opened Medical Corporation Fujita Iin in Meguro-ku, Tokyo in 1980 and has been practicing at this clinic.
Took up a position as visiting lecturer at the Toho University Faculty of Medicine in 2002.
Took up a current position as director of Medical Corporation New City Osaki Clinic in 2004.
* Member of Kanto-Koshinetsu Region Council of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology
* Board Certified Member of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
* Board Certified Gastroenterologist of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology
* Board Certified Hepatologist of the Japan Society of Hepatology

Junichi Masuyama

Dr. Masuyama has long been conducting basic and clinical studies of immune cells and succeeded in a high level of activation and culture of a large amount of NK cells.
He engages in research, treatment, and education with a sense of mission to save as many people with cancer as possible.

Profile

Graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Niigata University in 1977.
After three years of internship in internal medicine, worked at Jichi Medical University Hospital.
Obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1986.
Studied at the Boston University Chest Disease Research Center from 1988 to 1990.
Took up a position as lecturer of internal medicine at the Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical University in 1991. Has long conducted basic to clinical studies on immune cells, being mainly in charge of autoimmune diseases.
Started practicing at New City Osaki Clinic in 2004.

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