The nation's first 47 physicians specializing in tumor treatments and recognized by the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology made their debut earlier this month.
Designated as "doctors specialized in cancer drug treatments," the Japan Society of Clinical Oncology is also planning to create a specialist system. In the United States, tumor physicians debuted 40 years ago and now play a central role in treating cancer.
Surgery, cancer drugs and radiation form the pillars of cancer treatment, but surgery has so far been the primary course, and treatment with drugs has also been carried out by surgeons, pushing other physicians into the background in this area of medicine.