Forty years in childhood cancer research—encounters and development—

<p>Forty years have passed since I began clinical research on childhood cancer as a pediatric surgeon. Through these years, I have met wonderful professors and participated in clinical research, academic activities, group study, and JCCG activities. I would like to look back on the path that I have taken and send messages to young doctors. I started clinically for childhood cancer at Osaka University in 1981 and met Dr. Keisei Kawa. Multidisciplinary treatment for solid tumors under Dr. Kawa’s leadership was started in 1985 and delayed local therapy for advanced neuroblastoma with Dr. Junichi Hara was started in 1993. I was in charge of the First Department of Surgery, Nihon University from 1998 and met Dr. Hideo Mugishima, who also promoted delayed local therapy. As vice president of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Cancer in 2002, and as president in 2004, I tried to integrate this society with the Japanese Society of Pediatric Hematology. From 2003 to 2015, I served as the chairman of the Japan Wilms Tumor Study (JWiTS) with the support of Dr. Tsugumichi Koshinaga, Dr. Junichi Hata, and Dr. Yasuhiko Kaneko. I served as vice chairman of the preparatory committee for JCCG (Chair Shuki Mizutani) in 2013 and as vice president and steering committee chairman of JCCG from 2014 to 2018. Finally, I would like to send two messages to young doctors. The first is “Taho Shoin” (Masahiro Yasuoka). If you are in contact with a good person, you will get good results without realizing it. The second is “Futoh” (Sanzo Genzyo). It is important to show the spirit of not returning the east if you do not reach India, and once you stand up, it is important to carry through to the end without bending your will.</p>