Yoshio Ogihara Lectureship

At the APMSTS meeting in Singapore in 2016 the advisory board under the direction of Dr Ajay Puri proposed the set up of a lectureship to acknowledge the APMSTS founders. Accordingly, we have enacted the Yoshio Ogihara lectureship to be conferred on the immediate past president so as to recognise the efforts of the past president and perhaps provide a platform for presentation that would otherwise be difficult given the monumental task of organising such a meeting. This lectureship would be inaugurated at the subsequent meeting in India in 2018. The inaugural speaker would be Dr Saminathan Suresh Nathan from Singapore.

Professor Yoshio Ogihara and the Inception of the APMSTS

The inception of the Asia Pacific Musculoskeletal Tumor Society can be traced to the efforts of a number of ethnically Asian luminaries from around the world. In August of 1993 at the ISOLS (International Society of Limb Salvage) meeting in Singapore presided over by Robert Pho, Edmund Chao of the Mayo Clinic and Robert Pho of the National University of Singapore addressed a group of senior Asia-Pacific surgeons. There were already 2 international regional bodies the EMSOS (European Musculoskeletal Oncology Society) and the MSTS (American Musculoskeletal Tumor Society). They advised Yoshio Ogihara and Atsumasa Uchida to take the lead as Japan had its own society in the JOA (Japanese Orthopaedic Association) Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor Society that had been established 50 years prior. There were several orthopedists in the Asia-Pacific region but none would be able to lead such an effort at the time.

At a special closed door meeting at 9pm, Ogihara as Chairman of the JOA Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor Society convened a meeting with Akio Tateishi and Taiho Shibata. These three were Japanese University Professors with Ogihara being the most junior. Also at the meeting were Katsuro Tomita, Atsumasa Uchida, William Marsden  (Australia), Peter Choong (Australia), Soo Yong Lee (Korea), Natarajan Mayilvahanan (India) and Robert Pho (Singapore). It was decided that the first meeting of the APMSTS would be held in Japan and Ogihara as chairman of the JOA Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor Society was the best candidate for the job. It was most logical to hold the meeting in Tokyo, which is the most convenient city for gathering from Asian countries. 

In July of 1995 it became known that Ogihara had been battling gastric cancer since1994. At the ISOLS of 1995 in Bologna in March, he had 3 oral presentations and underwent chemotherapy infusions while giving these talks onsite. By the time the APMSTS meeting was convened in July 1995 he was in the terminal stages of cancer and was in hospital. As such A/Prof Yasuo Shiokawa and A/Prof Uchida Atumasa stood in for him.

At the welcome dinner before the APMSTS, Shiokawa had been told about Ogihara’s admission to hospital. He had been informed of Ogihara’s dire condition and during the opening ceremony rushed back to Mie. There, Ogihara breathed his last 3 hours later. The next day, acknowledging the passage of the man, the organising committee took over the running of the meeting.

In 2011, Edmund Chao approached Uchida to provide a short writeup for the ISOLS commemorative volume. Ogihara was described as a fine gentleman of strong spirit. He was poor economically in childhood. He graduated originally in business studies and worked for 2-3 years in a company before studying medicine in Mie University. 

My visit to the University of Mie

As the 11th president of the APMSTS and 1st orator of the Ogihara lectureship I visited Mie University in May of 2017. I met with the widow and family of the late Ogihara on May 8th 2017. Dr Ogihara married at a late age and had 2 beautiful daughters. I’d never met the man nor heard of his exploits but he is remembered fondly by all that have crossed his path. Looking over his many photo albums which admixed business, family, sports and pleasure were the curious inclusion of photos of chemotherapy protocols. The man had movie star looks and sported a naturally silver mane at a very young age. He had multiple interests outside medicine in cars and tennis. He is survived by his wife and 2 daughters. 

Saminathan Suresh Nathan

President Asia Pacific Musculoskeletal Tumor Society 2014-2016

Inaugual Yoshio Ogihara Lecturer