Yuko Kitagawa

Yuko Kitagawa, MD, PhD is Professor and Chairman of Surgery at Keio University School of Medicine and one of Japan's most distinguished upper gastrointestinal surgeons and cancer researchers. She has served as President of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association and has made pivotal contributions to the surgical management of esophageal and gastric cancers with a particular focus on minimally invasive surgery, sentinel node navigation surgery, and evidence-based integration of perioperative systemic therapy. Kitagawa is a world leader in sentinel node navigation surgery (SNNS) for early gastric and esophageal cancer—a technique she has developed and refined to allow function-preserving limited resections in early-stage disease—and has authored landmark feasibility and efficacy data supporting its adoption. She has been deeply involved in JCOG (Japan Clinical Oncology Group) trials establishing neoadjuvant chemotherapy strategies for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and in translational research on predictive biomarkers for platinum-based and taxane-based regimens. International collaborations have included contributions to global guideline harmonization with ESMO, ASCO, and NCCN on gastric and esophageal cancer management. Kitagawa has authored over 400 peer-reviewed articles and trained numerous surgeons who now lead programs across Japan and Asia. She has been a forceful advocate for multidisciplinary esophageal and gastric cancer programs integrating state-of-the-art surgical, endoscopic, and systemic therapy expertise.