Message from the Director

Introduction

For more than 27 years as a physician, I have faced the lives of many patients.
Time and again, I have heard the words “there is nothing more we can do,” “surgery is not possible,” and “the anticancer drugs are no longer working.”
And yet, at the same time, patients tell me, “I still want to live,” “I want to spend time with my family.”
I have listened to those wishes over and over again.
My specialty, image-guided treatment (IVR: Interventional Radiology), is a form of medicine that can answer those voices.
In Japan, however, this treatment is still not widely known. To bring my experience and skills to more patients, I resolved to establish Yasumoto IVR Clinic.

What Is IVR (Image-Guided Treatment)?

IVR is a treatment method in which, guided by X-ray, CT, or other imaging, needles or thin tubes (catheters) are used to directly approach lesions inside the body.
Unlike surgery that requires a large incision, treatment is possible through a wound of only a few millimeters, placing less burden on the body and allowing faster recovery.
It can also address cancers that have metastasized to the lungs, liver, kidneys, lymph nodes, peritoneum, pleura, pelvis, bones, and other sites, using localized heating or drug delivery to provide treatment while limiting the burden on the whole body.
On the other hand, because this field requires advanced skills and extensive experience, only a limited number of physicians in Japan can handle it at a specialized level.

My Specialty and Experience

In 2015, I founded the Japanese Research Society for Percutaneous Drainage and, as its representative organizer, have worked with physicians across Japan to improve and standardize puncture techniques. Through academic presentations and educational activities, I have widely conveyed the importance of this delicate technique to the medical community.
I also worked for 11 years at Miyakojima Radiology Clinic in Osaka City, serving as Deputy Director and Head of the IVR Center. In an environment specializing in advanced image-guided treatment, I faced many refractory cases and handled everything from diagnosis to treatment, an experience that forms the foundation of my practice today.
The number of cases I have performed as the operating physician exceeds 20,000.
Even for patients whose treatment was considered difficult at other hospitals, I have continued to provide care with the determination to help them by any means possible.
Through this work, I have seen many patients recover through IVR and regain their daily lives. I am convinced that this form of medicine can be a source of hope for many people.

The Role of Yasumoto IVR Clinic

Through referrals from university hospitals and regional core hospitals, many patients have come to visit us from across Japan. As a hospital-employed physician, however, there were limits to the number of patients I could accept and the treatment options I could offer.
To deliver treatment to as many patients as possible, I established Yasumoto IVR Clinic as my own base.
Our clinic is equipped with advanced medical devices such as CT and angiography systems, and provides minimally invasive treatment centered on IVR. While outpatient same-day treatment is our standard approach, we also work closely with nearby general hospitals, including Meiwa Hospital, and have a system in place to provide inpatient treatment when necessary.
We also value collaboration with referring physicians and will provide prompt and careful feedback on treatment details and progress. Referred patients will always be returned to the care of their primary physicians.

The Current State of Cancer Care and My Mission

In recent years, cancer treatment has advanced greatly thanks to progress in drugs and medical devices. At the same time, as options have diversified, situations have arisen in which patients feel they “do not know what is right” or “cannot tell which treatment is best for them.”
In fact, I have been involved with many patients who, despite visiting multiple medical institutions, were unable to settle on a treatment policy and continued to struggle with their choices. I sometimes deliberately describe such people as “cancer refugees.” They are by no means exceptional; I feel this is a situation that could happen to anyone in modern medicine.
What matters for these patients is to show them the optimal path of treatment based on accurate imaging diagnosis. I believe that fulfilling this role is precisely my mission.
In addition, the number of IVR specialists in Japan is limited, and in reality there are large differences in their skills and experience. Yet this reality is difficult to see through ordinary information searches, making it hard for patients to reach appropriate care.
Furthermore, while Japan’s attending-physician system itself is important, I also feel that it can lock treatment options in place. I believe the medicine that is best for each patient should be able to be chosen more flexibly.
To help change this situation, I am working to improve the quality of medicine in every area of clinical practice, education, and research. Above all, I always keep in mind the question, “What is truly the best choice for this patient?” as I provide care.

To Our Patients

Even if you have been told that there are no treatment options left, there is a real possibility that something can still be done. At our clinic, we stand close to each individual patient and carefully explore the best possible treatment based on detailed imaging diagnosis.
We welcome referrals from your current primary physician, and we also welcome consultations for second opinions.
Please feel free to contact us.

Director's Biography

1998: Residency at Osaka University Hospital
1999: Clinical training at Osaka Rosai Hospital
2001–2006: Worked as an IVR physician at Minoh City Hospital and Suita Municipal Hospital
2006: Chief Radiologist (in charge of IVR), Toyonaka Municipal Hospital
2007: Received Ph.D. in Medicine from Osaka University
2015: Deputy Director and Head of the IVR Center, Miyakojima Radiology Clinic
2026: Established Yasumoto IVR Clinic (YASUMOTO IVR Clinic)
To the present

Academic Society Memberships

・Japan Radiological Society (Board-Certified Diagnostic Radiologist)
・Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology (Board-Certified Specialist, Councilor)
・Japan Sarcoma Association (Board-Certified Specialist, Supervising Physician)
・CIRSE (Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe)
・Japanese Society for Low Temperature Medicine
・Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine
・Japanese Society of Internal Medicine, and others

Research Societies (Organizer)

・Japanese Research Society for Percutaneous Drainage (Representative Organizer)
・Kansai IVR Society (Kansai Regional Chapter of the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology)
・Hepatic Arterial Embolization Therapy Research Society
・Japan Ablation Research Society (Secretary)
・Kansai Angio-IVR Research Society
・Kansai Research Society for Local Therapy of Liver Cancer
・Research Society for Minimally Invasive and Multidisciplinary Cancer Treatment
・Emergency Radiology Imaging Research Society
・Japanese Society for Peripheral Vascular Embolization (JPEC)
・Japanese Society of Metallic Stents and Grafts, and others