Announcement regarding the 5th Sapporo Conference for Palliative and Supportive Care in Cancer

Toward a New Era in Palliative Care in Cancer

The Sapporo Conference for Palliative and Supportive Care in Cancer (SCPSC)—often referred to as the “Olympics of Palliative Care”—is set to convene its fifth meeting in July 2026.
SCPSC has long embraced the ideals of the Academia, as established by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato—a vision of a space where science and ethics, practice and philosophy converge. The life and unjust death of his mentor Socrates served as a catalyst for this philosophical tradition and still compels us to reflect on the nature of science in the modern world. SCPSC carries forward this intellectual legacy by promoting the integration of basic research and social science.

In recent years, I have often spoken of a turning point in the research and practice of cancer palliative care. This shift has taken shape along two distinct paths. One path involves the emergence of institutions and researchers who specialize in disease-specific palliative care—for cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, chronic heart failure, and more recently COVID-19—while also conducting original scientific inquiry in these fields. The other path is represented by professionals and institutions that, informed by local realities and organizational philosophies, deliberately offer non–disease-specific palliative care across a wide range of conditions. This latter approach carries significant implications for global healthcare policy.

In response to these developments, the program for the 5th SCPSC features a bold and innovative agenda focused on palliative oncology and psycho-(social)-oncology. We are delighted to have secured the participation of leading researchers in both fields, affirming our belief that we have already moved beyond the turning point into a new era of palliative care research and practice.

The conference will center on four core symposia:

1. Issues Related to Opioids
　Organized by Dr. Russell Portenoy and Dr. David Hui
2. Palliative Cancer Treatments Including Immunotherapy
　Organized by Dr. Areej El-Jawahri and Dr. Shunichi Nakagawa
3. Psycho-oncology
　Organized by Dr. Friedrich Stiefel, Dr. Sarah Dauchy, and Dr. Camilla Zimmermann
4. Euthanasia
　Organized by Dr. Luc Deliens and Dr. David Currow

Each symposium promises to offer cutting-edge, forward-thinking content.

As noted in the IRS–SCPSC Newsletter issued on December 22, 2023, general presentations will be divided into oral and poster sessions, conducted with a strong educational focus under expert guidance. We warmly encourage many of you to submit your abstracts.
In addition, we are pleased to present an educational lecture by Dr. Karen Steinhauser on “Spirituality and Spiritual Care: A Cross-Cultural Perspective,” and a special lecture by Dr. Herwig Czech titled “The Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust: Historical Evidence, Implications for Today, Teaching for Tomorrow.” This topic, we believe, offers vital insights not only for palliative care and medicine, but also for our broader understanding of today’s turbulent global landscape.

SCPSC remains a rare international forum where world leaders in cancer palliative care gather not in competition, but in dialogue and collaboration, to address critical challenges. It is this spirit that has earned the conference its nickname: “The Olympics of Palliative Care.”

We warmly welcome the participation of those involved in palliative oncology and psycho-(social)-oncology, as well as professionals across all domains of palliative care beyond cancer.

Kunihiko Ishitani
President, International Research Society of the SCPSC
President, Higashi Sapporo Hospital
August 15, 2025