It has been seven years since the opening of International Clinical Cancer Research Center (ICCRC) at Kobe University Hospital.

ICCRC is located in the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster(KBIC), where many medical institutions and research centers collaborate, and with surgical treatment at its core, all staff members strive to make ICCRC a distinctive research hospital of Kobe University.

ICCRC's first main focus, the promotion of advanced surgical and endoscopic treatment for cancer, reached a milestone with the implementation of the domestically manufactured surgical support robot "hinotori" in December 2020. With this new robot serving as the core, robotic surgery will continue to develop, and research into remote surgery and the development of new medical devices will be accelerated.

The "Head and Neck Alluminox Department," which started in July 2021, has been steadily accumulating results and attracting attention from various fields (44 cases performed and 38 consultations as of the end of January, 2023).

ICCRC has also established the Center for Advanced Medical Engineering Research & Development(CAMED), the Bioresource Center, the Office for AI and Digital Health Promotion, and the Robotics Training Center to promote new medicine and research. The Kobe Vision for Healthcare of Tomorrow, a government grant project jointly promoted by Kobe City and Kobe University, was also launched in January 2020 with ICCRC as the demonstration base. As a center for promoting medical-engineering collaboration, ICCRC will work with Kobe University Graduate School of Engineering to search for and develop the potential seeds of medical devices that can be applied clinically.

Another objective is to promote international medical treatment. In January 2021, we obtained the JIH (Japan International Hospitals) certification, and plan to increase the number of foreign patients by promoting international medical treatment for post-Corona society.

In actual practice, the number of surgical departments has increased to 10, and the number of patients has been steadily increasing, not only for orthopedic sports surgery by arthroscopy, urological surgery, and gastrointestinal surgery, but also for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early-stage gastrointestinal cancer in the Department of Gastroenterology. The number of patients is increasing rapidly while maintaining safe and high quality treatment.

We also have “Ladies Endoscopic Days,” in which all examinations are done by female doctors and female staff. In addition, we offer consultations for those who develop lymphedema after their cancer treatment.

We would like to ask everyone involved for their understanding of the Center's medical treatment, research, and collaborative activities, and for their continued cooperation in the operation of the Center.