Sapporo
Cancer Seminar Foundation
While we may rejoice at the
advances in modern technology and the resources available to us, cancer
continues to be humanity's major threat. It is therefore imperative that
medical researchers find a solution to the problem of cancer.
Although research is being carried
out in every part of the world, no ultimate solution has been found, or is even
in sight. This makes it of the greatest urgency that medical specialists,
wherever they are working, should have the opportunity to meet each other and
discuss methods to combat, or prevent, the disease.
In 1979, Dr.
Hiroshi Kobayashi, now
Professor Emeritus of Hokkaido University, inspired by the academically liberal
atmosphere of The Gordon Research Conferences, Santa Barbara, California, the
USA, conceived the idea of the Sapporo Cancer Seminar (SCS) to provide greater
opportunities for cancer researchers to share their knowledge in a relaxed but
academic atmosphere. His proposal was encouraged by Dr. Takashi Sugimura, now
President Emeritus of the National Cancer Center, Tokyo, and supported by Dr.
Takeo Yamazaki, then President of the Hokkaido Medical Association, Sapporo,
Hokkaido, Japan.
The first SCS was held in Sapporo
in 1981, and in 1983 the SCS established itself as a foundation, with the warm
support of businesses, pharmaceutical organizations, and the general public.
Since 1987, it has been a twice-yearly event, in February and July. The summer
seminar deals with basic aspects of cancer research, while the winter seminar,
which is scheduled to coincide with Sapporo's Snow Festival, an internationally
famous event, concentrates upon cancer-related clinical investigations.
The July Seminar consists of
symposia, a poster session with general discussions and meetings. Reports are
published in Cancer Research and other world journals.
The road to the conquering of
cancer is likely to entail a long trek. The SCS aims to contribute its own
small part to the advancement of medicine in its fight against this threat to
human life.
Main Projects
That the
Sapporo Cancer Seminar should−
1) Host international
conferences on cancer: international symposia in summer, national cancer
seminars in winter
2) Establish connections
with cancer-related institutions throughout the world, and act to collect and
store academic information about cancer
3) Manage its affairs
in an appropriate manner
4) Compile reports on
the deliberations held at its symposia, and publish these in the appropriate
journals
The First Symposium on cancer
held in the summer of 1981, its theme was Escape of Tumor Cells from Immune
Controls