2019    Our October issue carried the article “MASCC and Social Media, Part I: Why Social Media Matters,” which considered the importance of social media to healthcare organizations, including MASCC. From its origins as a means of social exchange and keeping in touch with friends, social media has rapidly evolved to become a powerful platform for sharing information with customers, clients, and colleagues. In the healthcare sphere, it now provides a major means of disseminating best practices and the latest clinical and research findings and is also rapidly becoming an extension of the patient-provider relationship. MASCC has made a commitment to using social media to advance knowledge of supportive cancer care, connect with professionals and patients alike, and increase its visibility as the prime international and multidisciplinary organization devoted to supportive care in cancer.

2019    The NCI-Supported Clinical Research Training in Cancer Control Program at the University of Rochester provides post-doctoral MD or PhD researchers with knowledge and experience to establish careers as outstanding independent investigators in cancer control and prevention research. For more information, see www.futureresearchers.org. Or contact Program Directors, Drs. Michelle Janelsins and Gary Morrow, or Program Director Kate Kessler, at [email protected].  A description is also listed at Supportive Care Clinical and Research Positions.

2019    In the November MASCC Society News 2019 issue, we congratulate MASCC's Immediate Past-President Ian Olver, AM, MD, PhD, this year's recipient of the Tom Reeve Award from the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia for his outstanding contributions to cancer care. MASCC President Dr. Rajesh Lalla discusses MASCC's efforts at spreading the message of supportive care in cancer. We have news about the upcoming Best of MASCC Singapore meeting being held this month, the 9th Annual Cancer Toxicity Management Meeting to be held in Paris in early December, and a report of joint sessions featuring MASCC at the recent ESMO Congress. We bring you a Profile of the Pediatrics Study Group. And we remind members to consider participating in a Survivorship Study Group survey of experiences and perceptions regarding patient-reported outcomes.

2019    MASCC’s Pediatrics Study Group, led by Chair Andrea Orsey, MD, MSCE and Vice-Chair Jason Freedman, MD, MSCE, aims to promote and improve supportive care for pediatric cancer patients and survivors and to ensure that pediatric supportive care is considered in all practice guidelines, research, and clinical endeavors.

2019    The 2019 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Barcelona (Sept. 27 to Oct. 1) featured a Supportive and Palliative Care Track chaired by Florian Scotté, MD, PhD, and included on its Committee MASCC members Matti S. Aapro, MD, Paolo Bossi, MD, Jørn Herrstedt, MD, Karin Jordan, MD, Vincent Launay-Vacher, MD, and Carla Ida Ripamonti, MD. There were also two joint sessions that included MASCC, one with ESMO and the other with the European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS).

2019    The 9th Cancer Toxicity Management Meeting will be held December 5-6, 2019, in Paris, France. The meeting was founded by MASCC Board member Florian Scotté, MD, PhD, and is sponsored by MASCC and AFSOS (Association Francophone des Soins Oncologiques de Support).

This year’s program features sessions on innovative treatments, impacts of treatments, treatment sequence, and tolerance to immunotherapies. Other topics of discussion include therapeutic cannabis, antiemetics, and patient care recommendations. The program will include a session at which young physicians will present examples of innovative care in oncology. Among the speakers are numerous MASCC members, including Matti Aapro, MD, Andrea Antonuzzo, MD, Richard Berman, MBBS, MRCGP, FRCP, Paolo Bossi, MD, Mario Di Palma, MD, Pere Gascón, MD, FRCP, Richard Gralla, MD, Karin Jordan, MD, Jean Klastersky, MD, Fausto Roila, MD, and Florian Scotté, MD, PhD.

This year also marks the first Jean Klastersky Award, created to recognize young physicians involved in the care of cancer patients. Candidates are invited to submit an application documenting a clinical case of innovative care or a proposal for a study on cancer toxicity management. From among the applicants, six candidates will be selected to present their work at the meeting. The awardee will receive financial support and complimentary registration at the 2020 MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting. The application deadline for the Jean Klastersky Award is November 20, 2019.

2019    The National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) will host the inaugural Best of MASCC Singapore meeting on November 30, 2019, with the theme of “Supporting Cancer Patients and Survivors.” MASCC Board member Alex Chan, PharmD, MPH, FCCP, BCPS, BCOP, played a key role in organizing this event. The goal of the meeting is to increase awareness of supportive and survivorship care and to advance supportive care practices in Singapore. There is no fee to register.

2019    Ian Olver, AM, MD, PhD, has been awarded the Tom Reeve Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cancer Care by the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA). The award, announced in September 2019 by COSA CEO Marie Malica, is the most prestigious national award in Australia in the field of clinical oncology.

2019    In the October 2019 issue, MASCC President Dr. Rajesh Lalla announces MASCC's most recent affiliation agreement with the Associação de Investigação e Cuidados de Suporte em Oncologia (AICSO) of Portugal. We bring you exciting news about the new MASCC Recommendations for the Management of Constipation in Patients with Advanced Cancer and a detailed description of the upcoming 2019 Cancer Treatment-Related Adverse Events Symposium at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Also, in this issue, we begin an exploration of MASCC and Social Media with "Part I: Why Social Media Matters."  As usual, we include several conference reminders and deadlines. We extend a warm welcome to new members who joined us in August. And we encourage every member to be a voice for MASCC!

2019    MASCC’s Survivorship Study Group invites healthcare professionals involved in the care of cancer patients to share their experiences and perceptions regarding patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in a 10-minute online survey. The Study Group is investigating oncology practitioners' current strategies and experiences in applying PROs in clinical practice, performance measurement, and research. The aims are (1) to explore practitioners’ experiences and perceptions on the use of PROs in routine clinical care at the patient level and (2) to assess the value of PROs as a performance or quality-of-care indicator at the system level. This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Boards of Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Edith Cowan University, Western Australia.
If you are interested in participating, please follow this link for more information and the online survey by July 31, 2020: Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO) Data Collection in Routine Care: An International Survey of Oncology Practitioners.

2019    The 2019 Annual Cancer Treatment-Related Adverse Events Symposium will be held on Friday, October 25, 2019 and Saturday, October 26, 2019 at the Rockefeller Research Laboratories, 430 East 67th Street, New York, NY. The course is directed by MASCC member Mario E. Lacouture, MD, who is the Director of the Oncodermatology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

2019    Social media is the process whereby people use online tools and platforms to share content and information. Social media platforms include websites where users share, exchange, discuss, and sometimes create or modify content (in the form of text, images, audio and video) in virtual communities on the Internet.

2019    Constipation is a common problem among patients with advanced cancer, with a reported prevalence of 32–87% in this group, in whom it also causes significant morbidity. Opioid-induced constipation appears to be a chronic side effect and is more common in patients with cancer pain than in those with nonmalignant pain. It may be influenced by the type of opioid involved, as well as by genetic factors, but does not appear to be particularly influenced by the dose of opioid.

2019    MASCC has just signed an affiliate agreement with the Associação de Investigação e Cuidados de Suporte em Oncologia (AICSO), the Oncology Supportive Care Research Association in Portugal. AICSO Board member Dr. Andreia Capela has been instrumental in bringing about this partnership, which will increase the memberships of both organizations, support collaboration, and help to promote the goals of supportive care in cancer. AICSO, founded in 2001, is a nonprofit, public interest institution. Its aim is the integration of supportive care resources for cancer patients all along the cancer continuum. In recent years, the organization has been active in promoting an active lifestyle for all patients living with and beyond cancer. To meet its goals, AICSO promotes research programs and professional development in supportive cancer care, as well as helping to educate the public about the importance of supportive care for all cancer patients and survivors. AICSO is led by President Dr. Ana Joaquim and Vice-President Dr. Sandra Custódio who, as well as Dr. Capela, are medical oncologists. Find out more at http://www.aicso.pt.

2019    In the September 2019 issue, we bring you exciting news about two clinical practice guidelines: a new MASCC/ISOO/ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline on Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw, and the latest update of the MASCC/ISOO Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Mucositis Secondary to Cancer Therapy. We announce the 2019 Best of MASCC India meeting, joint sessions featuring MASCC at both EONS and ESMO, and educational programs in supportive and palliative care at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. MASCC President Dr. Rajesh Lalla discusses the importance of clinical practice guidelines to the MASCC mission. As usual, we include several conference reminders and deadlines. We extend a warm welcome to new members who joined us in July. And we encourage every member to be a voice for MASCC!

2019    Don’t miss these joint sessions at upcoming meetings!

2019    Presentation slides and select session videos which include speaker slides and audio from our 2019 Annual Meeting in San Francisco are available on the MASCC website. (Member login required)

2019    The 23rd Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Supportive Care, Hospice, and Palliative Medicine will be held October 18-19, 2019 at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, USA. Palliative and supportive cancer care are critical to the delivery of optimal care to cancer patients. Many clinicians are unaware of the need for whole-patient care from symptom management to quality of life beyond the treatment of the primary disease. Caring for the cancer patient in the advanced stages of disease is especially challenging and includes medical, psychosocial, ethical, and spiritual dimensions. The conference will help participants learn how to implement new techniques and treatments in clinical practice to improve patient care and outcomes. (Complimentary registration for September 2019 Board Review Attendees!)

2019    Updates in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Intensive Physician Board Review, September 24-26, 2019

2019    The second Best of MASCC India Meeting, hosted by the Indian Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (IASCC), will be held September 14-15 at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. The program will include presentations, workshops, and discussions on treatments and techniques for minimizing the symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatments, including the psychological, social, and economic dimensions of cancer diagnosis and treatment. The meeting is intended for physicians, nurses, and other oncology professionals. For more information about the program, faculty, and registration, see Best of MASCC/IASCC 2019 or contact [email protected].