Introduction: This paper reports the highlights of the presentation at the Twelfth Japan-Korea Joint Symposium on Cancer and Ageing Research was held at the auditorium of Saitama Cancer Center in Saitama, Japan, in June 19-21, 2014.
Results: Thirty-two oral presentations were delivered on various themes, such as therapeutic agents, cancer stem cells, EMT signaling, molecular epidemiology, cellular senescence, and clinical research, to more than 80 participants. The significance of translational research was emphasized in clinical sessions by physicians. A special session, "Thinking about Scientific Philosophy," featured presentations by distinguished scientists from Japan and Korea.
Conclusion: We really feel that this meeting of minds has a unique and creative purpose, and a role of a prototype for Joint Symposia in Asian countries. The next Symposium is anticipated in 2016 in Jeju, Korea.
Keywords: Cancer stem cells; Clinical research; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; G-quadruplex.