2019    In the July 2019 issue, we are pleased to bring you highlights of the 2019 MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, USA, featuring all the award winners. MASCC President Dr. Rajesh Lalla reflects on the Annual Meeting and announces MASCC's newest affiliate. As usual, we include several conference reminders and deadlines. We extend a warm welcome to new members who joined us in May. And we encourage every member to be a voice for MASCC! 

2019    Frederik K. (Fred) Spijkervet, DDS, PhD, Head of the Department Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, is the recipient of ISOO’s 2019 Distinguished Service Award, the Society’s highest honor. The award was given in recognition of many years of meritorious service to ISOO dating back to 1993, when Fred served as the Program Chair for the first international meeting of the Society in Amsterdam. He went on to serve as Vice President of ISOO from 1994 to 1995, as President from 1995 to 1997, and as Scientific Program Chair for the 1997, 1998, and 1999 annual meetings. From 2004 to 2011, Fred chaired the Oral Care Study Group and was an active member of the Mucositis Study Group. From 2008 to 2014, he served as a MASCC Board member and, in 2013, was part of the Scientific Program Committee for the 2013 MASCC/ISOO meeting held in Berlin.

2019    At the 2019 MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting, seven Study Groups recognized high-quality work by junior investigators in their disciplines. The Fatigue Study Group was the first to honor outstanding young investigators with junior faculty and trainee awards as a means of professional recognition and a way to showcase cutting-edge work by up-and-coming researchers. The awards are based on the quality of abstracts submitted to the Annual Meeting. This year, junior investigator awards were conferred by the Study Groups on Fatigue, Geriatrics, Mucositis, Neurological Complications, Pediatrics, Psychosocial Issues, and Survivorship. In addition, the Fatigue Study Group recognized Debra L. Barton, PhD, FAAN, RN, as Distinguished Scientific Laureate.

2019    MASCC has initiated two new awards to recognize outstanding work by a MASCC Study Group and an outstanding Study Group Leader. Projects carried out by our Study Groups result in clinical practice guidelines, position papers, publications, and other products that advance supportive care in cancer. Through these new awards, MASCC recognizes excellent work by its Study Groups and the leaders who drive these efforts. The MASCC Mucositis Study Group was named the 2019 Outstanding Study Group, and Mucositis SG Chair Sharon Elad, DMD, MSc, was named the 2019 Outstanding Study Group Leader.

2019     Cynthia N. Rittenberg Travel Scholarship Award 2019 - Radhika R. Pai, MSc (India)
From among the Travel Scholarship applicants, the nurse applicant with the highest-ranking abstract is awarded the Cynthia N. Rittenberg Travel Scholarship. This year, the award went to Radhika R. Pai, MSc (India) for her abstract titled “Evaluation of an Oral Care Protocol for Chemotherapy- and Radiation Therapy-Induced Oral Complications in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.” Radhika is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fundamentals of Nursing Manipal College of Nursing in Udupi, India. A member of MASCC and ISOO, Radhika belongs to MASCC Study Groups on Oral Care, Hemostasis, and Palliative Care.

2019    Derek K. Smith, DDS, PhD, is the recipient of MASCC’s 2019 Outstanding Young Investigator Award for his research on the efficacy of gabapentin in reducing neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients receiving primary or adjuvant chemoradiation for head and neck cancer. Derek is Research Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Oral Maxillofacial Surgery and Assistant Director of Supportive Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. He is particularly interested in the impact that cancer therapies can have on oral health, and how the healthcare system can address the unique challenges of maintaining good oral health in cancer patients. He is a member of MASCC and ISOO and of the Oral Care Study Group.

2019    Jane Ussher, PhD, of the University of Western Sydney, Australia, is the winner of MASCC’s 2019 Steven M. Grunberg Memorial Award for her research titled “Sexual Issues in Partners of Cancer Patients.” The Steven M. Grunberg Memorial Award is reserved for the author of the highest-ranking abstract submitted to the Annual Meeting and rewards demonstrated excellence in supportive care in cancer. At this year’s Annual Meeting, Jane presented her study of sexual embodiment and subjectivity after cancer across a range of cancer types and stages in partners of people with cancer, across both heterosexual and LGBT relationships.

2019    Rachel Gibson, PhD, is the recipient of MASCC’s 2019 Distinguished Service Award. The DSA, MASCC’s highest honor, is made in recognition of meritorious achievement and outstanding contributions to the society. Candidates are nominated by their peers in recognition of exemplary leadership and accomplishments in support of MASCC’s mission and goals. Rachel has just been appointed inaugural Professor and Director, Allied Health in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide, a position that will commence in July 2019. She is also Co-Head of the Cancer Treatment Toxicities Group at the Adelaide Medical School and previously served as Professor and Academic Dean in the Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia.

2019    In the June 2019 issue, President Raj Lalla announces a new MASCC Affiliate, the Indian Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, and we provide some background information about this new partner to MASCC. We include information about a free replay of the recent Cachexia Clinic Webinar and photos of several key MASCC personalities, who contributed to the 2nd edition of the MASCC Textbook of Cancer Supportive Care and Survivorship, showing off their copies. This is our last issue before the 2019 MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting in San Francisco. We’ve included highlights of the Plenary Sessions and reminders of many other special sessions that have been featured in the last four issues of the Society News. We extend a warm welcome to all the new members who joined us in April. And we encourage every member to be a voice for MASCC! See you in San Francisco

2019 The 2019 MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting offers an exciting variety of sessions and speakers.

2019    This year’s Annual Meeting will feature three plenary sessions focusing on digital health, treatment toxicities, and sexual health.

2019    In February 2019, the MASCC Nutrition and Cachexia Study Group offered a webinar, “The Cachexia Clinic — Building a Supportive Care Necessity.” The webinar, featuring speakers Liz Isenring, PhD, Egidio Del Fabbro, MD, and Rony Dev, MD, provided information and practical considerations for establishing and operating a cachexia clinic within a cancer center. Topics concerned service and team composition, assessment, management, and outcome measures. A detailed description of the webinar is available here. A replay of the webinar is available at Cachexia Clinic Webinar.

2019    In May 2019, MASCC signed an affiliation agreement with the Indian Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (IASCC). IASCC is a subdivision of Nag Foundation, a public charitable trust in Pune, Maharashtra, India, with a mandate of cancer care, research, and education. The IASCC’s mission is to promote research and education in the field of oncology supportive care among Indian healthcare providers. Its specific objectives are (1) to promote and undertake supportive care education for oncologists, nurses, and other oncology professionals through courses, modules, and meetings and (2) to collaborate with MASCC on research projects. Through its affiliate program, MASCC aims to create a global network of supportive care organizations that allows for international collaboration, as well as enhancing the experiences of cancer patients worldwide.

2019    In the May 2019 issue, we feature two new MASCC Affiliates and a new MASCC Subgroup on Immuno-Oncology. MASCC President Raj Lalla provides some context for these exciting new developments within MASCC. We also have news about networking opportunities at the Annual Meeting and tips on getting started in social media to promote the work and visibility of MASCC around the world. If you’re new to social media, this year’s Annual Meeting will be a good place to learn more! As usual, we include several meeting reminders. We extend a warm welcome to all the new members who joined us in March. 

2019    A new Subgroup on Immuno-Oncology (IO) has been formed by members of the Study Group on Neutropenia, Infection, and Myelosuppression and approved by MASCC’s Executive Committee. The Subgroup is led by Chair Bernardo Rapoport and Vice-Chair Mario Lacouture.

2019    MASCC signed an affiliation agreement with the Network Italiano Cure di Supporto in Oncologia (NICSO), the Italian network of supportive care in oncology. With MASCC affiliation, members of NICSO become full members of MASCC with all membership benefits.

NICSO was formed in 2014 as an open multidisciplinary association for all those who work with patients with cancer. Its mission is to stimulate and facilitate training and scientific research on cancer support therapies in order to offer patients a better quality of life. It aims to improve prevention and treatment of symptoms, co-morbidity, and side effects of anticancer therapies from the time of diagnosis through treatment, post-treatment, and rehabilitation.

2019     MASCC signed an affiliation agreement with the Association Francophone des Soins Oncologiques de Support (AFSOS), the French-speaking association for supportive care in in oncology. With MASCC affiliation, members of AFSOS become full members of MASCC with all membership benefits.

 

2019    In the January 2019 issue, we bring you news of a new MASCC initiative to promote affiliated supportive care associations in the Asia-Pacific region, a summary of a recent Post-MASCC meeting in Belgium, and news of the Lancet Oncology Commission’s work toward the integration of oncology and palliative care. In Study Group news, we bring you a profile of the recently renamed Oncodermatology Study Group (formerly Skin Toxicities), a name change that reflects a broadening of the Group’s areas of interest and research.MASCC President Raj Lalla, DDS, PhD, discusses the MASCC initiative related to national-level supportive care associations. As usual, we include upcoming conference reminders. We extend a warm welcome to all the new members who joined us in November. And we encourage every member to be a voice for MASCC!

2017    Carme Font is one of a large group of investigators who have collaborated on a study of differences in the clinical course of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in relation to specific cancer sites (breast, prostate, colorectal, and lung). The study was based on data from an international registry of patients with VTE,* and included almost 4000 adult patients with active cancer.