[Role of Medical Oncologists in Regional Hospitals]

Medical oncologists are required to propose and implement the optimal treatment for individual patients with cancer in cooperation with doctors and medical staff in each area as the control tower of the cancer treatment team within the medical institute. On the other hand, core hospitals in regional areas have limited numbers of medical oncologists, as well as doctors and staff in each specialized field, and cannot necessarily cover all areas like core cancer hospitals in metropolitan areas. Therefore, it is necessary for each medical facility in the local area to cooperate with the limited number of personnel and equipment and to deal across the region. To this mission, it is desirable to plan and manage areas such as the training of specialists and specialist staff, research and practice activities, enlightenment in cooperation with the government, cancer- related information, cancer education, and cancer advocacy. In order to fulfill this role smoothly, oncologists should take the initiative in demonstrating their social skills.