PREFACE

This report summarizes activities of the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program for the Japanese Fiscal Year 1980, the period between April 1, 1980 and March 31, 1981.
Following the very successful conclusion of the first five-year period, the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program entered into the second five-year period in April 1979, with substantial restructuring of the Program intended to provide greater flexibility in operation to meet the needs of the changing interests and new research areas emerging in the recent progress of cancer research.
The most important modification has been consolidation of the previous eleven areas of cooperation into four major areas: (1) Etiology; (2) Biology and Diagnosis; (3) Treatment; and (4) Interdisciplinary Program and Coordination. The Interdisciplinary Program and Coordination Area is intended to serve the function of general coordination of the other three areas, consideration of new programs of scientific merit, facilitation of interdisciplinary programs (including those on organ sites), and sponsoring of interdisciplinary meetings.
Each area of cooperation has two Program Coordinators, one appointed by each implementing agency. A number of Principal Advisors assist these coordinators in planning and carrying out activities in each program area.
A number of areas of special interest were also identified within each major program area. This will help to indicate priority in the implementation of cooperative activities between the two countries, with the understanding that they may change during the course of five years depending upon scientific opportunity and new knowledge. The program areas are as follows:

In place of the previous Joint Annual Meeting, where all coordinators of the eleven areas of cooperation participated, a new Joint Steering Committee consisting of the Program Coordinators of the four major areas and the representatives of the implementing agencies will meet once every year to discuss policy matters, annual program activities to be supported, coordination among the program areas, evaluation and reporting, etc. The first new Joint Steering Committee Meeting was held in San Francisco from May 24 to 25, 1979. Records of the meetings held in June 1980 (Nara, Japan) and in June 1981 (Annapolis, Maryland) are included in the Appendix.
During the second year of the second five-year period, ten seminars were held, five American and ten Japanese scientists were exchanged, and five materials were exchanged. The breakdown by program area is shown in the following table:

The implementing agencies are most appreciative of the enthusiastic and unselfish devotion that the Program Coordinators and Principal Advisors have given toward the successful implementation of the Program. It is our sincere hope that the future will prove even more successful and fruitful through the increasing interest and participation of cancer researchers of the two countries in this cooperative program. The dedicated contributions of Mrs. JoAnne Day, Mr. Nagahide Onozawa, and Mr. Iwao Abe of the NCI and JSPS are gratefully acknowledged.