Kyoichi Takaori, MD, Ph.D., FACS, FMAS(hon.), AGAF Kyoto, Japan
Secretary General IASGO
Director, Pancreatic Cancer Unit, Kyoto University Hospital Cancer Center, Kyoto, Japan
Dr. Kyoichi Takaori is a pancreatic surgeon who has extensive experiences of open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgery. His academic career includes Professor of Surgery at Asahi University and Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Thorough his career as a surgeon, he has struggled to improve the prognosis of pancreatic cancer, which is known as the worst malignancy. First, he has focused on early detection of pancreatic cancer so that surgeons can offer truly curative operations to the patients. In 2003, with Dr. Ralph Hruban, Dr. Takaori organized International Expert Meeting on Precursor Lesions of Pancreatic Cancer and created international consensus on the classification of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN).
World Health Organization has adopted this classification system, which helps investigators better understand the precursor lesions. Furthermore, in pursuit of early diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer in high-risk individuals, he has founded a Japanese Familial Pancreatic Cancer Registry and is promoting collateral studies as the chairman of the registry committee of Japan Pancreas Society. Second, he has endeavored to improve the surgical techniques for pancreatic malignancies. In order to improve local control and to perform more oncologic resections, he has refined artery-first pancreatoduodenectomy and developed new techniques of artery-first distal pancreatectomy, and artery-first DP-CAR by utilizing the “Tiger’s Den” approach in all open, laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Third, he is a great believer of multi-disciplinary approach and presently directing the multi-disciplinary team as the Head of Pancreatic Cancer Unit at Kyoto University Hospital.
Recently, he has conducted international collaborative study on the clinical managements of pancreatic cancer. Last but not least, Dr. Takaori has served patient’s activities on the Medical Advisory Board for PanCAN Japan and the Scientific Advisory Board for Pancreatic Cancer UK. He is Founding Editor of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Oncology, the official journal of the International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists and Oncologists (IASGO), and has served Pancreatology also as the Vice Editor-in-Chief of Pancreatology for over eight years. Along with Prof. Dan Duda, Prof. Takaori is organizing IASGO World Congresses as well as many Postgraduate Courses for the purpose of “Globalization of Medical Knowledge” all over the world.