[Research project of cancer chemotherapy]

Information exchange with regard to new antitumor agents has taken place through meetings dealing with various treatment areas within the US-Japan Cancer Research Program, contact between the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the USA and the Cancer Chemotherapy Center, and meetings of the Early Clinical Trial Group of the EORTC. Cisplatin. VP16-213, 6-Thioguanine, DTIC and AMSA which were judged to be worth introducing to Japan from information obtained from the above sources were supplied by the NCI and clinical trials have been conducted. A joint study of advanced gastric cancer was conducted between the Northern California Oncology Group and a Japanese Cooperative Group involving 13 major institutions through the US-Japan Program. The study was meaningful for understanding the natural history of patients with gastric cancer in both countries.