Development of Individualized Minimally Invasive Therapy and Multidisciplinary Care for Gastrointestinal Cancer

Today, approximately one in every two people in Japan is diagnosed with cancer at least once in their lifetime, making cancer control a matter of national concern. However, advances in diagnosis and treatment have made it possible to cure 70%-80% of cancers. Early-stage malignancies can now be resolved in nearly all cases, with the current challenge lying in how to fully cure the patient in a manner that conserves the affected organ and its function. Minimally invasive, function-preserving surgery for early-stage tumors will likely further evolve with the introduction of robotics and individualized surgery. Meanwhile, cancers that are difficult to control―advanced or intractable forms―require a multidisciplinary approach combining diverse therapeutic strategies. The future of treatment for advanced cancer promises to bring innovations such as individualized treatment planning based on cancer genome analysis, precise determination of treatment responsiveness using gene mutations as indicators, and early diagnosis of metastasis/recurrence through liquid biopsy. This paper provides an overview of the current state and future prospects of multidisciplinary cancer care, with a focus on the author’s field of expertise―upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.