2025/12/24
Shizuoka Cancer Center
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer for Japanese women. The patients start increasing after they reach the age 30, and the age groups of the patients are various covering young population as well as the elderly. The treatment methods also vary, including surgery, drug treatment, and radiation. A breast cancer patient receives lots of various information about the disease from the moment when it is first diagnosed, through the course of treatment, to the days after the treatment. Each time when she learns something new about her disease and conditions, she will have to make a decision after giving it a lot of thought. Furthermore, a 10-year-long follow-up period is needed for a breast cancer patient even after the treatment, which is a big feature of this disease.
At the Shizuoka Cancer Center, about 450 patients a year receive treatments for breast cancer. However, it has been recognized as an issue that the doctors don’t seem to be able to provide the breast cancer patients with enough care due to their limited time spent with the patients. As part of the efforts for addressing the issue, the Outpatient Clinic for Breast Cancer Nursing was launched on December 15, 2025. It has already been in service since then. The Certified Nurses in Breast Cancer Nursing (accredited by the Japan Nursing Association), who have ample professional knowledge and experiences about the disease, are stationed there to support the breast cancer patients and their families for their life problems during and after the cancer treatments based on the understanding for the woman-specific life cycle. They are all mindful of each one of the patients’ conditions, offering supports for decision-making in selecting a treatment method or for inquiries about recuperation at home, and providing a sense of relief through listening to their anxieties. Through the sensible personal involvements as such, medical care for breast cancer patients at the Shizuoka Cancer Center is getting integrated and enhanced further.
