Craif Holds Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Event in Fukuoka on Advanced Preventive Medicine and Early Detection

Craif Inc., a provider of urine-based cancer risk testing, held a cancer awareness event on April 23, 2026, at KKR Hotel Fukuoka in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, as part of its pancreatic cancer awareness project. The event, titled “Fukuoka Central Hospital Director × Fukuoka Sanno Hospital Pancreatic Cancer Specialist: Learn About Advanced Preventive Medicine and Future Cancer Measures,” featured Dr. Hiroyoshi Yokoi, director of Fukuoka Central Hospital, and Dr. Tetsuhide Ito of Fukuoka Sanno Hospital, who explained advanced preventive medicine in the Fukuoka region as well as the challenges and countermeasures related to pancreatic cancer. Craif CTO Hiroki Ichikawa also presented the potential of early cancer detection using advanced technology. Dr. Yokoi introduced the concept of turning hospitals into places where citizens can learn about health before becoming ill, emphasizing proactive preventive medicine using the latest technologies. He said Fukuoka Central Hospital will accept patients assessed as high risk through MySignal and provide follow-up using advanced CT and MRI systems. Dr. Ito noted that cancer screening rates in Fukuoka Prefecture remain among the lowest in Japan and warned that pancreatic cancer is often detected too late for effective treatment. He stressed that detecting tumors at 1 cm or smaller, or at early stages, can raise the five-year survival rate to around 80%. He also discussed research on urine microRNA detection for early pancreatic cancer and said plans are underway to follow up with patients assessed as high risk by MySignal. Craif said MySignal Scan evaluates the risk of 10 cancer types, including pancreatic cancer, by extracting microRNA from urine and analyzing it with AI. The test has been introduced at nearly 2,500 medical institutions across Japan. In Fukuoka Prefecture, it is available at more than 70 medical institutions and is rapidly expanding to over 500 drugstores and dispensing pharmacies. Craif plans to continue working with medical institutions, companies, universities, and local government bodies in Fukuoka to build a regional model for early cancer detection.