Cancer Education for Children from the Perspective of International Cooperation for Cancer in Asia

When considering how Japan can propose cancer prevention strategies for other countries in Asia and what would be the best format for such strategies, involvement in cancer education has the potential to make a significant contribution to cancer control measures in Asia. Such involvement would be effective not only from the perspective of promoting future research collaborations for cancer but also because many countries in Asia are coming to a turning point in their social structures as population growth declines and societies start to age. Cancer involves various stages, from prevention, early detection, early treatment, and treatment with advanced methods to prognosis and follow-up, and prevention of recurrence. In all of these stages, the daily lives of patients and the clinical environment are intricately interlinked on the same level. In addition, decisions on when and how to allocate medical resources that support the various cancer stages affect the health and quality of life of patients. Progress in prevention and early detection can reduce the consumption of medical resources. However, the tendency is to rely on self-help efforts and individual awareness in these areas. It is therefore thought to be necessary to re-appraise prevention and early detection in the context of a framework that aims to bring people together in a way that encourages mutual and public assistance. It would be ideal if children, who represent the future, could acquire awareness about such matters from an existing body of knowledge that has been formed through ongoing interpersonal interactions that have been nurtured through community and blood relationships. It is necessary to consider what cancer education means for individuals and society, and how it can change the way people go about their daily lives, particularly in the context of the changing social structure of Asia.