Advanced cancer immunotherapy
at specialist clinics in Japan,
arranged for you

Japan regulates advanced cell-based medicine through a dedicated legal framework, overseen by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the PMDA. Pathways such as Advanced Medical Care (Senshin Iryo) and the Act on the Safety of Regenerative Medicine let licensed clinics offer certain therapies outside a clinical trial, under defined safeguards. That is why some approaches are routinely available in Japan while they are still trial-only elsewhere. It does not mean they are right for everyone — that is a separate question. Through our medical concierge services, we review health records and diagnostic history provided by patients to identify the most relevant clinical paths. We help connect patients with authorized specialized clinics in Japan best equipped to evaluate each patient's situation and provide the appropriate treatment protocols for their specific case.

Most Japanese specialized clinics do not accept international patients directly. Japan Medical Assist bridges this gap by acting as your official administrative coordinator. Here is how we help you successfully secure treatment:

• Overcoming language barriers: Japanese medical facilities communicate exclusively in Japanese. We handle all official correspondence and provide professional document translation services for your records.
• Complex record preparation: clinics require strict, specific health record formats and preliminary screening protocols. We organize your medical history to meet precise Japanese standards.
• Multi-clinic network: treatment protocols vary widely, and clinics frequently decline cases. We leverage established relationships with multiple facilities to find the best match for your specific diagnosis.
• Expedited registration: Japanese oncology centers can be overwhelmed with inquiries. We present your case as a "ready-to-review" medical case, bypassing administrative delays to fast-track your intake.
• On-site interpretation support: to ensure safety and clear communication during your medical appointments, we provide in-person interpretation services at the clinic when necessary.

Broadly, four families. This is a summary — each one has real clinical depth behind it:

• Dendritic cell vaccines — your own dendritic cells are collected, prepared in a lab to recognise cancer markers, and given back as a personalised vaccine. Includes WT1, multivalent, and tumour-lysate versions.
• Immune cell therapies — NK cells, NK/NKT/gamma-delta T combinations, or LAK cells are grown and activated from a blood sample, then returned by infusion.
• Targeted and molecular approaches — used where genetic or pathology testing finds something specific to aim at.
• Local and supportive therapies — hyperthermia, photoimmunotherapy, sonodynamic therapy, tumour treating fields, and supportive options such as high-dose vitamin C.

Full clinical descriptions, including how each one works and the published literature behind it, are on ImmunotherapyJapan.com. Whether any of them suits your case is for the treating doctor to decide after reviewing your records. While acceptance is never guaranteed, we can help you get your case in front of the right clinics for their independent evaluation.

They work on two different halves of the immune system.

• A dendritic cell vaccine works with your adaptive immunity. It shows the immune system specific cancer markers so it learns to recognise and remember them. Specific, but it needs a target to teach.
• A NK cell therapy works with your innate immunity. Natural killer cells act on abnormal cells without needing to be taught a particular marker first. Broader, but less targeted.

Some protocols use both, on the reasoning that they cover for each other. Which combination — if any — makes sense for you is a clinical judgement, not something to decide from a website. There is a fuller explanation on ImmunotherapyJapan.com.

Yes. Clinics want to speak with you before agreeing to anything. Once a clinic accepts your file, we arrange a video consultation at a time that works across your time zone and theirs, with a medical interpreter on the call.

As much as you already have. Doctors would rather see too much than too little:

• A recent summary of your diagnosis and treatment so far.
• Imaging — CT, MRI, PET-CT, X-rays.
• Blood work and pathology reports.
• A list of current protocols and medications.

If your records are not ready, do not wait. A written description of your history is enough to start, and we can help chase documents from your current team. If tests are missing, they can often be arranged in Japan before treatment begins — and having your before and after scans done at the same facility makes them easier to compare later for progress evaluation.

Study the available therapies on ImmunotherapyJapan.com beforehand to understand what might be relevant to your case and what is important to discuss with the doctor. Write your questions down before the call. People forget them under pressure, and the interpreter makes the conversation slower than a normal appointment. Cover what worries you most, what you are having now, timing, and what you are hoping to find out.

What they are actually proposing and why, what evidence sits behind it, the risks, what the alternatives are, what it costs, how many visits it needs, and what follow-up looks like once you go home. If an answer is vague, ask again.

You upload them into your encrypted patient workspace. Only the coordinators working on your case and the clinical team reviewing it can see them. We can also request records from your current care team on your behalf and pass them on securely.

There is no need — it may be expensive, time-consuming and you may translate the wrong things. Send them in the original language and we will take care of documents translation and preparation for the clinic review.

We check first that the file is complete and formatted the way clinics expect. Then an independent clinic decides whether it will review the case. That second decision is entirely theirs.

We usually prepare a complete document package within one to two working days. Japanese clinics often respond within the same week, though it varies with their schedule and how complex the case is. Once a clinic accepts, the consultation is typically booked within a week depending on the specific doctor's availability.

We prepare and translate your records, present your case to clinics, arrange consultations and interpreters, and organise the practical side of getting you to Japan and back. That is the whole scope.

Only the licensed doctors at the independent clinics. Diagnoses, eligibility, treatment decisions and care recommendations come from them, never from us.

Not until your clinic schedule is confirmed and you have seen the costs. On-site appointments are usually set for one to three weeks after the consultation. Once the dates are fixed we can help with travel and suggest places to stay near the clinic.

It depends on what the doctor recommends, but it usually falls into one of two patterns:

• Two-three trips — roughly 7 to 14 days first, visiting the clinic daily for appointments of about 30 to 60 minutes, then a second stay of 7 to 14 days after a two to three week gap.
• Single longer trip — combining both phases into a single stay of about 4 to 5 weeks, which many people prefer for simplicity.

The final schedule is set by the clinic based on your case, not by us.

Our coordination services are free for patients. Clinic costs come after the clinic has reviewed your file, because they depend on what is actually being proposed — anyone quoting a treatment price before reading your records is guessing. Once the clinic responds, you get a full breakdown before deciding anything. Online consultation with a doctor is billed separately by the clinic, and you will see that cost before booking. Often, the consultation cost is credited toward the treatment cost if you go ahead.

Usually not. These are private treatments at independent clinics and most policies do not reimburse them. Check with your insurer directly. Depending on where you live, the costs may qualify for a medical expense tax deduction.

Clinical follow-up instructions will originate from licensed medical professionals, i.e., the independent Japanese facility providing your care will be responsible for tracking progress and issuing medical recommendations.

We will stay in touch with you before, during and after your visit. Please use the secure client portal or contact your coordinator directly for ongoing account management, document updates, or scheduling help. Our team remains available to facilitate follow-up communication with clinics, bookings or secondary consultations.