To all members of the press,
We have initiated a collaborative project to develop an endoscopic surgical system thatvisualizes the extent of cancer progression and assists in recognizing the range of curative
resection.
June 24th, 2024
Asahi Surgical Robotics Co., Ltd.
National Cancer Center, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition
Announcement Highlights:
Asahi Surgical Robotics Co., Ltd. and National Cancer Center East Hospital will jointly
develop an endoscopic surgical system that visualizes the extent of cancer progression andassists in recognizing the range of curative resection.
The improvement in the accuracy of curative resection range is expected to reduce theincidence of postoperative complications and improve treatment outcomes.
This project is an advanced surgical system development project conducted in collaboration
between a surgical robot manufacturer and a medical institution, applying the endoscopic
image analysis technology cultivated at the National Cancer Center.
Asahi Surgical Robotics Co., Ltd. (President and CEO, Kazuo Chiba, Kashiwa City, Chiba
Prefecture, hereinafter referred to as "Asahi Surgical Robotics"), and National Cancer Center,
National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (Director, Hitoshi Nakagama,Chuo-ku, Tokyo) East Hospital (Director, Toshihiko Doi, Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture,
hereinafter referred to as "National Cancer Center East Hospital") have officially started thedevelopment of an endoscopic surgical system that visualizes the extent of cancer
progression and assists in recognizing the range of curative resection.
This project was adopted in the "Advanced Research and Development and Strengtheningof Development System Project in Medical Devices, etc. (Advanced Medical Device andSystem Development Project)" for the fiscal year 2024 by the Japan Agency for Medical
Research and Development (AMED) as of April 10, 2024.
Project Details:
We will develop an endoscopic surgical system that integrates preoperative image diagnosis
and intraoperative endoscopic image information to support anatomical recognition in rectal
cancer endoscopic surgery. For the time being, we will proceed with discussions anddevelopment on paper and consider conducting clinical trials depending on the progress ofdevelopment.

Background:
The selection of the resection range is crucial when performing curative surgery for rectal
cancer due to its adjacency to various organs in the pelvis. To reduce the risk of localrecurrence, it is necessary to secure a sufficient resection range. On the other hand, to avoid
functional disorders such as postoperative urinary and bowel dysfunction, it is necessary toselect an appropriate resection range. Surgeons usually diagnose the extent of cancer
progression preoperatively using MRI/CT images, etc., and determine the resection range.
However, it is difficult to fully grasp the extent of cancer progression through endoscopic
images during surgery. This development project aims to start a future where surgeons canaccurately capture the extent of cancer progression during surgery and recognize the optimalresection range.
Expected Outcomes:(1) Improvement in treatment outcomes of rectal cancer surgery is expected, such as
reducing the incidence of postoperative complications and improving postoperative survival
rate.
(2) By utilizing the surgical support system, it is expected to perform high-quality surgery
equivalent to a skilled surgical team, resulting in a reduction in perioperative complications
and reoperations, as well as a reduction in the burden on surgeons.
(3) Through the reduction of perioperative complications, reoperations, and hospitalizationdays, it is expected to contribute to the optimization of healthcare resources and thesustainability of healthcare for an aging society.

Contact Information:
Inquiries regarding research:
National Cancer Center, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition,
East HospitalNEXT Medical Device Development Center Secretariat
Phone: 04-7130-0199
Email: NEXT_AxL@east.ncc.go.jp
Public Relations Contact:
Asahi Surgical Robotics Co., Ltd.
Management Group
Phone: 04-7136-1496
Email: amed-kanri@asahi-surgrob.com
National Cancer Center, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition
Planning and Strategy Bureau, Public Relations Planning Office (Kashiwa Campus)
Phone: 04-7133-1111 (Main)
Email: ncc-admin@ncc.go.jp

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