MASCC Pediatric Study Group

Leadership

Chair: Andrea Orsey, MD, MSCE - USA
Vice-Chair: Jason Freedman, MD MSCE, USA

For more information or to contact Study Group Leaders, see our contact page.

Past Workshops

Integration of Oncology and Palliative Care: Why? What? Who? When? How? MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 2017.
Anemia in Cancer. MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, 2015
Beware of Infections in Both Adults and Children. MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting, Miami, 2014
Survivorship Issues of Adults Who Have Had a Childhood Cancer: How Does it Affect One’s Life? MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting, Athens, 2011

Research Highlight

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Supportive Care in Childhood Cancer in the Netherlands: Prioritization of Topics
Members of the Study Group are working toward updating guidelines for the supportive care of children with cancer in the Netherlands. The current guidelines are over 10 years old and are not evidence-based. New, evidence-based guidelines would greatly help bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.

In order to prioritize subjects for which clinical need is greatest, the research group undertook a study to identify childhood cancer supportive care needs. This was accomplished by a Delphi method, a technique for reaching expert consensus. A two-round procedure was followed in order to both identify topics and determine an optimal order for guideline development. Thirty-six panelists (pediatric oncologists. pediatric oncology nurses, and pediatricians involved in the care of childhood cancer patients in general hospitals) participated. The five topics with the highest scores were infection, sepsis, febrile neutropenia, pain, and nausea and vomiting. This work represents an important first step toward uniform and evidence-based Dutch guidelines and the improvement of supportive care in childhood cancer.

The results of the Delphi questionnaire and analysis were presented at the 2014 International MASCC/ISOO Symposium and later published in Supportive Care in Cancer.

Loeffen EA, Mulder RL, Kremer LC, Michiels EM, Abbink FC, Ball LM, Segers H, Mavinkurve-Groothuis AM, Smit FJ, Vonk IJ, Vd Wetering MD, Tissing WJ. Development of clinical practice guidelines for supportive care in childhood cancer — Prioritization of topics using a Delphi approach. Support Care Cancer. 2014 Dec 18.

MASCC-Endorsed Practice Guidelines

Acute AINV Guideline
From the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO). Guideline for the Prevention of Acute Nausea and Vomiting due to Antineoplastic Medication in Pediatric Cancer Patients.

International Pediatric Fever and Neutropenia Guideline
From The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids.ca)
Fever and neutropenia (FN) is a common complication in children who receive chemotherapy for cancer. A panel of pediatric cancer and infectious diseases experts was convened to develop an evidence-based guideline for the empiric management of pediatric FN. This guideline focuses on children and adolescents with FN who have cancer or who are undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The guideline is designed for healthcare professionals who care for these patients. Implementation requires adaptation to the local context and consideration of organizational barriers, such as the availability of a local infrastructure, to support different models of care.

Recent Member Publications

Recent Study Group member publications related to supportive cancer care for children and adolescents.

Resources

International Pediatric Oncology Guidelines in Supportive Care Network
The International Paediatric Oncology Guidelines in Supportive Care Network (iPOG Network) is a voluntary collaboration of organisations that are developing or endorsing clinical practice guidelines for the supportive care of children who have cancer or are undergoing bone marrow transplant. The iPOG Network aims to share best practices among clinicians, coordinate supportive care guideline development efforts internationally, and communicate the existing evidence gaps to the research community. Find out more by visiting the iPOG website or by emailing [email protected] or [email protected].

HopeLab - HopeLab's mission is to combine rigorous research with innovative solutions to improve the health and quality of life of young people with chronic illness. In 2006, HopeLab created Re-Mission, the first video game shown to induce positive behaviors that enhance the effectiveness of medical treatment. In the game, a nanobot named Roxxi travels through the bodies of fictional cancer patients destroying cancer cells, battling bacterial infections, and managing the effects of cancer and cancer treatments. The original Re-Mission video game is available (for Windows only) at Re-Mission.net. Re-Mission 2 is a collection of six video games designed to motivate players to stick to their treatments by boosting self-efficacy and positive emotions and by shifting attitudes about chemotherapy. All six games can be played online for free (Windows or Mac) at Re-Mission2.org.