MASCC News on Supportive Care
Supportive care news and research worldwide

MASCC Comes to Australia! Announcing Adelaide as host city to the MASCC Symposium, 2016!

What's New in the Management of Blood Clots for Cancer Patients -by MASCC members, Richard J. Gralla, MD, Rekha Parameswaran, MD, David A. Slosky, MD, Carolyn Messner, DSW, MSW. Brought to you by Cancercare.

February 4th, 2013 was World Cancer Day - Read the official global World Cancer Day press release.

MASCC Meeting Planner, Kenes International, has been accredited, - read more

The Dysphagia Section of the MASCC Oral Care Study Group has developed a survey.
We ask that all clinicians, regardless of specialty, who are involved in taking care of advanced head-and-neck cancer patients, take the opportunity to help in this important endeavour. Click here to read the objectives and proceed to the 15 minute survey.

MASCC President, Dr Stephen Grunberg talks with ecancer at the 2012 ESMO meeting about the MASCC and its goals
Dr Grunberg stresses the importance of improving the patient’s quality of life as well as the disease itself, for example the management of side effects to allow patients to return to work. View the interview>>

MASCC Study Group Chairs Lead First of it's Kind Study in Oral Complications of Radiotherapy
Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) has received an $8 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to conduct a multi-center study on Treatment Outcomes from Head and Neck Cancer Therapies. As the awardee organization, CHS will administer the grant, which will be shared across the several sites involved in the study.
The research team will study dental and oral medicine outcomes of patients who have received high-dose radiation to the head and neck region. These outcomes include a permanent decrease in saliva production (hyposalivation) and impaired healing of bone surrounding the teeth (osteoradionecrosis), among others, which cause a major impact on patients’ overall quality of life and risk for further dental complications.
Dr. Michael Brennan and Dr. Raj Lalla are the Co-Principal Investigators of this NIH study. Dr. Brennan is the current President of the International Society of Oral Oncology and recently served as the Chair of the Oral Care Study Group of MASCC. Dr Lalla is the current Chair of the MASCC Mucositis Study Group and also is a MASCC Board Member. In addition to Carolinas Medical Center, patients will be enrolled at University of Connecticut, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania and New York University.  The University of Minnesota will be the Data Coordinating Center for the current study.  Read More>>

Survey - MASCC Rehabilitation, Survivorship, QOL and Education Study Groups
Impact of Social Media for Oncology Supportive Care Practices- Social Media Perceptions for Supportive Cancer Care Survey - Please take the time to participate.  All participation will be kept strictly confidential.  Preliminary results will be presented at the MASCC/ISOO Annual Symposium in NYC this June 28-30 (Health Workshop).

MASCC Board of Directors 2012-2014
The MASCC Board of 2012-2014 has been elected. Positions will be posted after the 2012 Symposium in NYC.
Please welcome: Alex Molassiotis, Alexandre Chan, Bernardo Rapoport, Charles Loprinzi, Declan Walsh, Dorothy Keefe, Fausto Roila, Fred Spijkervet, Ian Olver, Judith Raber-Durlacher, Joel Epstein, Karin Olson, Linda Elting, Matti Aapro, Mellar Davis, Paul Hesketh, Petra Feyer, Rajesh Lalla, Rebecca Clark-Snow, Richard Gralla, Steven Grunberg Ex officio: Åge Schultz, Anne Young, Fred Ashbury, Linda Barber

Want to Help Develop Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines in Supportive Care?
Are you interested in assisting with developing evidence-based practice guidelines in supportive care? Click here for an opportunity to work with the Joanna Briggs Institute.

ASCO's B. J. Kennedy Award for Scientific Excellence in Geriatric Oncology goes to MASCc member Matti Aapro
The B. J. Kennedy Award for Scientific Excellence in Geriatric Oncology honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership or contributed scientific work—laboratory, clinical, or epidemiologic—of major importance to the field of geriatric oncology.

Collaborative CME/CE education by MASCC, Bone Complications Study Group and Medscape Oncology
The educational activities specifically address the prevention and management of bone loss and bone-related complications in patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer, or multiple myeloma. Read more>>

Read about Antonella Surbone, MASCC member
Psycho-oncology: A Mental Health Priority for Patients, Families ( PDF, 52KB)
By Virginia Anderson, ASCO writer on Antonella Surbone, MASCC member.
Originally published in ASCO Connection,reprinted with permission. To comment on this article, please visit ASCOConnection.org.

Palliative Care Survey - MASCC, EAPC and ESMO
Palliative care is a young subspecialty and has an evolving structure influenced by culture, patient population and location (rural, urban, and academic).  To understand palliative care structures and interactions with oncology, the palliative care group of MASCC in conjunction with the European Association of Palliative Care and the European Society of Medical Oncology are sending a survey to its membership.  This is the first international survey of palliative programs which will be important in understanding palliative care development.
Please take a few minutes to complete this survey

UPDATE: UN Summit on NCDs
The historic UN Summit on Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) officially came to an end today in New York. Bringing together over 30 Heads of State, Ministers of Health and other policy makers, the Summit resulted in the adoption of a Political Declaration on NCDs - only the second of its kind to address a health issue on a global scale. The event also received widespread media attention, helping to put cancer firmly on the global agenda.

We strongly encourage you to download UICC’s full position statement on the Political Declaration on NCDs - Read more>>

Oral chronic graft versus host disease – a focus of interest
The Oral Care Study Group (OCSG) new project focused on chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) was launched. This project continues the successful series of research projects conducted by the OCSG concluding with 10 systematic reviews about various topics in oral oncology. Read More>>
For questions, email:  oral_GVHD_survey@mascc.org

Hemostasis Survey
Please take time to participate in our survey! - MASCC Thrombosis Awareness Survey

ONS - Oncology Interviews
The Group Room videos from the ONS 11th National Conference on Cancer Nursing Research are now available for viewing. You can also watch these videos and more on the Vital Options YouTube Channel.

MASCC President Dorothy Keefe on Supportive Care
The Group Room at the 35th European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Milan, Italy, was the debut of our full video format in Europe and is now available for viewing and posting.
Supportive care makes excellent cancer care possible
An interview with MASCC's president Dorthy M K Keefe, MBBS, MD, FRACP, FRCP
ESMO Congress, Milan, Italy October 2010 Videocast

Oral Care Study Group
The Oral Care Study Group has written a summary of the Oral Complications Systematic Reviews.  This report includes the prevalence of the oral complications that were reviewed as well as the management recommendations. The oral complications reviewed by the Oral Care Study Group included the following: Bisphosphonate Osteonecrosis, Dysgeusia, Oral Fungal Infection, Oral Viral Infection, Dental Disease, Osteoradionecrosis, Trismus, Oral Pain and Xerostomia. Click here to review this document on the oral care study group area.

Skin Toxicity Study Group
The Skin Toxicity Study Group has undertaken the project of determining treatment recommendations for the management of skin toxicities caused by EGFRI agents. Members of the Study Group volunteered to review and evaluate evidence based research and articles in each of eight categories of skin toxicities. A selected group of eight experts agreed to serve as a recommendations panel. This group met in Chicago in November to determine, based on the findings of the research and their expert opinion, the best treatment recommendations. A white paper describing these recommendations will be made available in 2011. MASCC appreciates the unrestricted grants from BMS, EvoLife, OSI, and Amgen.

MASCC Development Fund
Give a tax-free donation to support MASCC programs. To make a donation now, complete the Development Fund form, and return to Aage Schultz, Executive Director. You can also add a contribution when you renew your membership.

Spread the word!
Your colleagues will like MASCC as much as you do! Spread the word about all the benefits of MASCC membership and receive a reward of a free membership for yourself when you recruit new members through the MASCC's Recruit a Member program!