Chair, 35th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Cancer Metastasis Research

Mitsuru Futakuchi
Department of Pathology, Yamagata University School of Medicine

Join us: JAMR Annual Meeting 2026 | Yamagata, Japan

We are pleased to invite you to the 35th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Cancer Metastasis Research (JAMR), to be held on July 30-31, 2026, in Yamagata, Japan.

This year's theme is "New Strategies to Overcome Refractory Cancer through Control of the Tumor Microenvironment." Metastasis and treatment resistance are often decided not only by tumor cells, but by the surrounding ecosystem, including cancer-associated fibroblasts, immune cells, vascular components, and organ-specific niches. We will bring these interactions to the foreground and ask a simple, practical question: where can we intervene, and what evidence do we need to move forward. We will also highlight bone metastasis, with discussion spanning the bone niche, stromal-immune crosstalk, and osteoclast biology.

A central part of the program is a joint symposium with the Metastasis Research Society (MRS). We see this as a main pillar of the meeting. We strongly encourage participation from MRS members and colleagues from around the world, and we aim for a format that favors discussion across model systems, disease contexts, and clinical questions.

From my own experience, face-to-face discussion is often what turns "interesting data" into an actual plan. When we can look at figures together right after a talk, clarify assumptions, and compare analytical choices on the spot, it becomes much easier to decide on the next experiment, the next analysis, or the first step toward sharing data and launching a collaboration. This meeting is designed to make those conversations happen.

Yamagata offers a calm and welcoming setting outside Japan's major metropolitan areas, and we hope the location will help create time and space for both focused scientific exchange and informal interaction. For many international participants, a meeting in Japan is also a chance to enjoy local culture, food, and landscape, and we would be delighted if JAMR 2026 becomes a memorable trip as well as a scientifically productive one.

We warmly invite you to join us in Yamagata. We look forward to two days of concentrated discussion on metastasis research and the tumor microenvironment, and to welcoming you to Japan.