President Message

JSCN was established in 1987, several years after cancer became the leading cause of death in Japan for the first time. Since then, we have been working for many years to ''Contribute to people's health and welfare through the development of research, education, and the practice of cancer nursing.” Incorporated in 2013, JSCN celebrated its 10th anniversary in February this year as Japan’s leading science group for cancer nursing, built on its tradition of valuing nursing practice. It has a membership of over 5,300 nurses, many of whom are nurses in clinical practice.

In recent years, there have been remarkable improvements in cancer diagnosis and treatment techniques such as genome-based personalized medicine using big data and AI, minimally invasive surgery, and heavy ion radiotherapy, and the 5-year relative survival rates for cancer patients have exceeded 60%. Nonetheless, cancer survivors face long-term problems from the moment they are diagnosed with cancer, including physical problems such as side effects of treatment and late sequela, psychological problems such as the fear of recurrence and metastasis, and social problems such as employment or relationship problems, and financial problems associated with high medical costs. Consequently, the needs of cancer survivors and their families are becoming more diverse and complex. Especially in the last three years, social activities and medical care have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a paradigm shift in cancer care has also occurred. Under these circumstances, JSCN aims to provide patient-oriented medical care so that cancer survivors and their families can live with cancer in ways they like and at ease in their familiar surroundings.

The following activities are executed as the projects of JSCN based on the "Prevention of cancer," "Enhancement of the cancer medical treatment," and "Symbiosis with cancer," which are the policies of each field of the Basic Plan to Promote Cancer Control Programs based on the Cancer Control Act in Japan. The activities include①holding science meetings,②publishing journal issues,③improving nursing practice and research,④collaborating with related science groups domestically and globally,⑤conducting international exchange activities, and ⑥contributing to people's health and welfare. During the fiscal years 2018-2020, we attempted to conduct research on “the approach for competency improvement of oncology nurses in Japan for anti-smoking education.” We adopted the “Global Bridge Japan Project" by collaborating with the International Society of Nurses in Cancer (ISNCC) and the Asian Oncology Nursing Society (AONS). We will continue to collaborate with cancer nursing societies worldwide and contribute to improving the quality of cancer nursing practice.In the fiscal years 2019 and 2023, in collaboration with the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology and the Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Oncology, we published the 2019 Guideline for Occupational Exposure Control in Cancer Drug Therapy and the 2023 Joint Guideline for Extravasation in Cancer Drug Therapy 3rd Edition. We will continue to work closely with related academic societies to make a broad contribution to cancer treatment. In the fiscal year 2020, we launched the disaster countermeasure committee amid the spread of COVID-19, and we have been disseminating useful information for the event of a disaster by conducting a field study and creating a homepage, "Information related to COVID-19 special page."

Through the 2021-2022 Board of Directors meetings, the future planning committee was established. While envisioning the future of JSCN, various considerations have been made, such as the direction of JSCN activities and the organization of the committee. Based on these considerations, the Board of Directors for this term will inherit the existing principle of the Board of Directors, work under a new organizational structure, and strive to provide meaningful returns to all of our members. While working together with the directors and auditors to manage JSCN, we ask for the understanding and support of all members and nurses who are involved in cancer nursing. Thank you for your cooperation.

March,2023
Kumi Suzuki, PhD, RN
President of the Japanese Society of Cancer Nursing