Serbia
Supportive care in cancer around the globe

MASCC short summary - Supportive care in Serbia
Supportive care in Serbia is growing slowly but surely.  There are 10 MASCC members.  In 2004, an international education symposium: “Supportive care in Cancer patients” was organized in Belgrade under the auspices of MASCC with the aim to promote supportive care in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. Participants from Serbia were regularly present at all annual MASCC/ISOO meetings since 1997.  They will also participate in the next annual meeting with oral and  poster presentations. Original and review articles of the authors from Serbia were published in the Journal Supportive Care in Cancer. Investigators from Serbia collaborated in antiemetic clinical trials, one investigator was awarded MASCC antiemetic research award and MASCC antiemetic guidelines were translated. Recently, half-day educational symposium on supportive care in lung cancer  was organized by Serbian chapter of ESMO, with 120 participants. One participant was awarded an annual MASCC membership. The book “Pharmacotherapy of cancer pain”(Bosnjak S, Beleslin DB, Vuckovic-Dekic, editors, 2007) was launched in April 12, 2007. To develop supportive care further we need recognition by health authorities and drug regulators of supportive care as a discipline in oncology, education of health professionals, patients/their families and general public and available and accessible supportive care drugs.
Snezana Bosnjak, MD, PhD, Professor of Research

Annual Serbian Oncology Meeting Promotes MASCC Activities
November 8-10, 2007

 
(from left to right) Dr. Snezana Bosnjak, Dr. Maria Steingraeber, Dr. Gordana Gligorijevic, Dr. Vera Sobic
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Continuing a tradition begun in 2004, MASCC supported and was represented at the annual meeting of the Oncology Section of the Serbian Medical Association and Oncology Nurses of Republic of Serbia that took place November 8-10, 2007, in Belgrade, Serbia.  Prof Dr. Snezana Bosnjak, MASCC Board member, reports that 450 attended the conference.  MASCC member and representative, Dr. Maria Steingraeber of Berlin presented “Radiotherapeurtic aspect of cancer pain management” as an invited lecturer for the session entitled Treatment of Cancer Pain.  This session promoted recently published Monograph “Pharmacotherapy of Cancer pain” (Bosnjak, Beleslin, Vuckovic-Dekic, Editors). Dr. Steingraeber also presented MASCC mission, objectives and current achievements.  Additionally, an informative leaflet with the MASCC definition of supportive care, MASCC mission and how to join information was prepared and put in participant’s bags. A creative initiative from Roche Pharmaceutical was the donation of a 1-year Membership for a supportive quiz winner - Dr Svetislav Vrbic, Oncology Clinics, Clinical Center, Nis. Dr. Bosnjak notes that the Board of Oncology Section of the Serbian Medical Association deeply appreciates MASCC support.

Activities of the Serbian MASCC organization

1. Invitation of the official MASCC speaker at the annual meeting of the Oncologic Section of Serbian Medical Association with the aim to promote supportive care as a discipline in oncology and the MASCC as a leading international organisation (Prof. Dr. Petra Feyer). Done!! Thank you Petra and Cindy for your support.

2. Update of the serbian translation of the antiemetic guidelines and translation of guidelines for mucositis. Will contact local Helsin office to sponsor translation. Who should be contacted regarding translations?

3. One meeting devoted to the topic of antiemetic therapy is planned with Helsin for the end of September. The opportunity to promote MASCC antiemetic guidelines (translated?).

4. We are planning the meeting with the topic of mucositis and the role and place of Gelcair in already existing approaches for the prevention/treatment of mucositis (the opportunity to promote MASCC mucositis guidelines, to be discussed with Helsin.

Archive
 ESMO Newsletter 2002- ESMO's first news reported from Sertbia
Inside Yugoslavia – The status of Supportive Care at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia