M A S C C • S u p p o r t i v e C a r e m a k e s e x c e l l e n t c a n c e r c a r e p o s s i b l e

Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org

February2018

Several articles in this month’s issue of the Society News areencouraging for MASCC. One is our engagement with othersocieties that include supportive care as part of their focus. IparticularlyacknowledgeournewMOUwithSIOG.Webelievethiscollaborationenrichesbothorganizations. The second iswatchingthe Vienna meeting develop. Following the completion of theparallel sessions,wenowarepleased to announce the2018Pre-Conference Workshops. As in the last couple of years, theseworkshops are generally designed to appeal to members ofmultipleStudyGroups.

Wearealsoverypleasedwith thenumberofnewmemberswhojoined in December and, of course, we want to ensure that weretainourcurrentmembersaswell.Thelast18monthshaveseengreat change in MASCC, with a new executive staff and a newstrategicplan.However,itisvitalthatwekeepdeliveringtheservices,resources,andexperiencesthatourmemberswantand,perhapsasimportant,adoptnewinitiativesthatwillencourageotherstojoinMASCCbecausewecandelivervaluetothem.

IencourageanymembertowritetoMelissaChinoranyofourBoardmemberstofloatnewideas.Hereisonetostart.Whatwould you think of a mentoring program that links members from developing nations with those from well-resourcedcountries,wherethementoralsofundsthemembershipfeeofthementee?Thetwo individualscouldmeetfacetofaceatMASCCmeetings,butwouldalsocommunicateyear-roundbyvideoconference,email,orsocialmedia.Ibelievethiswouldnotonlybeamutuallybeneficialexperience,butwouldalsoservetopromotesupportivecareincancerinthedevelopingworld.There is thedevil in thedetails, of course— such as how suchpairingsmight occur andhow to increase their chancesofsuccess. But these issues couldbeexplored if therewere sufficient support amongmembers. Iwould also like tohighlightsomeofourcurrentmembers’newideasforincreasingthevalueofMASCCinmysubsequentmessages.

Finally,IhopethatthediversityofAnnualMeetinglocationsforthenextfouryearsisattractiveandensureseaseofaccesstomembersfrommanycountriesoverthattime.

IhavejustspentsomeleavetimeintheGalápagosIslands,soitseemsappropriatetoendwithaquotefromCharlesDarwin,whichcouldapplyaswelltosocietieslikeMASCCasitdoestospecies:“Itisnotthestrongestofthespeciesthatsurvives,northemostintelligent,buttheonemostresponsivetochange.”

~IanOlver

NEWSWelcome to the February Issue of the MASCC Society News Thismonthwearepleasedtoannouncethe2018MASCC/ISOOPre-ConferenceWorkshopstotakeplacepriortoourAnnualMeetinginVienna.WealsoannounceanewMOUbetweenMASCCandtheInternationalSocietyofGeriatricOncology(SIOG).Wehaveareportonthenaturalhistoryandresolutionofmedication-relatedONJincancerpatientsbasedonaninternationalcollaboration involving threeMASCCmembers. As usual,we list upcomingmeetings related to supportive cancer care.WeextendawarmwelcometothenewmemberswhojoinedusinDecember.AndweencourageeverymembertobeaMASCCambassador!

AllissuesoftheMASCCSocietyNewsareavailableonlineatwww.mascc.org/society-news.Olderissues(throughAugust,2016)canbefoundinthebackpagesofourjournal,SupportiveCareinCancer.

~ToniClark,Editor

A Message fromMASCC President Ian Olver

IanOlverandFriendsintheGalápagosIslands

M A S C C • S u p p o r t i v e C a r e m a k e s e x c e l l e n t c a n c e r c a r e p o s s i b l e

Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org

New MOU: MASCC Partners with SIOG InJanuary,MASCCandtheInternationalSocietyofGeriatricOncology(SIOG)formalizedtheircloserelationship inaMemorandumofUnderstanding.SIOG,amultidisciplinarysocietythatincludesphysiciansandotherhealthprofessionalswithaninterestingeriatriconcology,aims

tooptimizetreatmentofolderadultswithcancer.SIOGworkstoincreaseeducation,improveclinicalpractice,andpromotenewresearchingeriatriconcology.Itsmemberscurrentlyrepresent93countriesaroundtheworld.

ThepurposeofthisMOUistoincreasecollaboration,mutualrecognition,andshared,culturallysensitiveapproachestothework of both organizations. BothMASCC and SIOG are committed to international collaboration. TheMOU recognizes amutual intention to support one another in developing partnerships and to work together toward shared educational,research, and clinical goals. Both organizations have agreed to promote supportive care in older cancer patients, fostermembershipinbothorganizations,supportoneanother’sactivities,andpursuejointprogramsandprojects.

MASCC Executive DirectorMelissa Chin notes that, “Through this association, our two organizations can better leveragesynergiesandseizenewopportunitiestocreateanddeployeducationandresearchsolutionsinternationally.Weareexcitedat the possibilities this formalMOU brings for furthering supportive cancer care around the world andmaking excellentcancercarepossible.”

SIOG President Stuart Lichtman, MD, FACP, adds that he’s very pleased about this new understanding between ourorganizations,addingthat,“Thisrelationshipwillcapitalizeonanaturalsynergy.ItwillbeaproductiveinteractionofMASCC,which has improved the lives of cancer patients by educating oncologists on appropriate symptom management andsupportivecare,andSIOG,whichhasbecometheleaderingeriatriconcologythrougheducation,stimulatingresearch,andmentoringyounginvestigators.Thisrelationshipwillfurtherenhancethemissionsofbothorganizations.Iamlookingforwardtoourjointendeavors."

Natural History & Resolution of Medication-Related ONJ in Cancer Patients

MASCC members Mark Chambers, Ourania Nicolatou-Galitis, and Deborah Saunderswere part of an international research team that conducted an observational caseregistry study todescribe the rateand timecourseofosteonecrosisof the jaw (ONJ)associated with cancer chemotherapy. ONJ risk factors, treatment patterns, andantiresorptiveagentswerealso tracked in this study,whichwill appear in SupportiveCareinCancerandisavailableonline(SchiødtMetal.,seebelow*).

ONJisanadversedrugreactionthatleadstoprogressivedestructionoftheboneinthemaxillofacialregion.Itisassociatedwithantiresorptivebone-targetedagentsusedtopreventbonecomplications inpatientswithsolidtumorsthathavebonemetastasis. The risk of ONJ is also related to time exposure, number of treatments, duration of therapy, and cumulativedosage. ONJ management, ranging from conservative treatment to surgical intervention, is challenging and depends ondiseasestage.Therapeuticgoalsincludecontinuedcancertherapywhilecontrollinginfection,pain,andprogressionofbonenecrosis.While the incidence of ONJ associated with antiresorptive therapy, as well as other risk factors, is well known,informationaboutthemanagementandresolutionofONJinclinicalpracticeislimited.Thiscaseregistrystudyrepresentsamajorsteptowardunderstandingthecourseofmedication-relatedONJ.

Inall,327patientswereenrolledinthisstudyandevaluatedbyadentalspecialistatbaselineandevery3monthsfor2years,and then every 6 months for 3 years until death, withdrawal, or loss to follow-up.Most of these patients had receivedantiresorptivemedicationbeforedevelopingONJ. The results are consistentwith thoseobserved in clinical evaluationsofskeletal-relatedeventsinpatientswithadvancedmalignancyinvolvingbone.Nearly70%ofpatientswithONJhadresolutionorimprovementduringthestudy,withhalfofthesehavingfullresolution.

Mostpreviouspublishedfindingsonmedication-relatedONJhavebeenbasedonsmallnumbersofpatientsoraggregateddataandsystematicreviews.ThesignificanceofthiscaseregistryreportisthatitdocumentedtheeffectofspecifictherapiesonONJinasubstantialnumberofpatientswithadvancedcancer.Italsoreportstheeffectsoflocaloralandmedicationriskfactors for ONJ, as well as treatment, management, and patient outcomes. The authors note that longer follow-up canprovide further information about differences in ONJ recurrence and resolution rates between medically and surgicallymanagedpatients._____________________________________________*SchiødtM, Vadhan-Raj S, ChambersMS,Nicolatou-GalitisO, Politis C, Coropciuc, R, Fedele S, Jandial D, Zhang J,MaH, SaundersDP. AMulticenterCaseRegistry StudyonMedication-RelatedOsteonecrosisof the Jaw inPatinetswithAdvancedCancer.SupportCareCancer.Epubaheadofprint(Dec.23,2017).OpenAccess.

M A S C C • S u p p o r t i v e C a r e m a k e s e x c e l l e n t c a n c e r c a r e p o s s i b l e

Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org

We are pleased to announce five exciting pre-conference workshops to be held at the 2018 Annual Meeting. All of theworkshopswilltakeplaceonThursday,June28,from8:00to11:15AM.AttendanceattheworkshopsrequiresregistrationfortheAnnualMeetingandanextrapaymentof€50perworkshop.Registerattheofficial2018AnnualMeetingWebsite.Early-birdregistrationratesareineffectuntilApril10.

MucositisStudyDesign:WhatDoWeNeedtoKnow?The overall goal of this workshop, presented by theMucositis Study Group, is to bring together basic, translational, andclinical researchers in an informal setting to advance the understanding ofmucositismechanisms andmanagement. Thisyear’sprogramwillhaveastrongfocusondesigningmucositisstudies.LedbySharonElad,theworkshophasthefollowingobjectives:

Topresentthelateststateofthescienceinmucositisresearch;Tofacilitateexchangeofknowledgebetweenexpertsandyoungresearchersfromallovertheworld;Toprovideanopportunityforyounginvestigatorstopresenttheirworktoanexpertaudienceforspecializedfeedbackandresearchadvice;To provide an opportunity for face-to-face discussions regarding collaborative research and development ofinternationalresearchnetworks;Todeveloplinkswithmultidisciplinaryteamstopursuenewresearchandfundingopportunities.

Ifyouareinterestedinpresentingyourresearchatthisworkshop,pleaseindicatethisduringabstractsubmissionbytickingaspecialbox.Theabstractssubmittedarepeer-reviewedandthetopabstractswillbeselectedforashortoralpresentation.TheabstractsubmissiondeadlineisFebruary9th.

UpdateandNewDevelopmentsinSupportiveCareofPatientswithChemotherapy-InducedAlopeciaOver the past two years, new data has emerged concerning the use of scalp-cooling devices to prevent chemotherapy-inducedalopecia.Thepurposeofthisworkshopistogiveanupdateonnewdevelopmentsandproviderecommendationsonthesupportivecaremanagementofchemotherapy-inducedalopecia.TheworkshopispresentedbytheSkinToxicitiesStudyGroupandwillbeledbyJenniferChoiandMarioLacouture.

WhatDoestheFutureHold?PrognosticationinAdvancedCancerandClinicalDecisionMakingPatientswithadvancedcanceroftenwanttoknowhowlongtheywillliveandwhattheycanexpectattheendoflife.Indeed,theabilitytoestimateprognosisaccuratelyandcommunicatethisinformationsensitivelyisoneofthemostimportantclinicalskills.Thiscomprehensiveworkshopwillprovideanup-to-dateoverviewofthelatestliteratureandadvancesinthescienceandartofprognostication.Itwillincludediscussionofsurvivalpredictionforbothadultsandchildren,areviewofestablishedandnovelprognosticfactors,andpresentationofthelatestprognosticmodelsandwebsites.Itwillalsoaddresspredictionofsurvivalandotheroutcomesandasummaryofcommunicationtechniquesandtools.Thepanelofexpertsinprognosticationwill also discuss prognostication research methods and make predictions on where this field is going. The workshoprepresentsacollaborationbetweentheEducation,PalliativeCare,Nutrition&Cachexia,andPediatricsStudyGroupsandwillbeledbyDavidHui,MariannevandeWetering,PazFernández-Ortega,andEgidioDelFabbro.

UpdateandNewDevelopmentsinSupportiveCareofPatientsUndergoingImmunotherapyThisworkshopwill focuson the very topical issuesof advances in the fieldof immuno-oncology and themanagementofrelatedsideeffects.Overthepasttwoyears,newdatahasemergedconcerningtheuseofimmunecheckpointinhibitorsincombination with chemotherapy, other checkpoint inhibitors, immune-modulatory molecules, and oncolytic viruses. Thepurposeofthisworkshopistogiveanupdateonnewdevelopmentsandproviderecommendationsonthesupportivecaremanagementofpatientswithimmunotherapy-relatedadverseevents.TheworkshopispresentedjointlybytheNeutropenia,InfectionandMyelosuppressionStudyGroupandtheSkinToxicitiesStudyGroup,andwillbe ledbyJeanKlastersky,MarioLacouture,JenniferChoi,andBernardoRapoport.

ChallengingCommunicationsinOncologyCommunication is fundamentaltothepracticeofoncology,butcanoftenbechallengingforhealthcareprofessionals—aswellasforpatientsandtheircarers.Theaimofthisworkshopistoemphasizethepositiveeffectsof"good"communication,to highlight the negative effects of "poor" communication, and to provide the attendees with advice and guidance forundertaking difficult conversations. The mixed format will include lectures, panel discussions, and (voluntary) audienceparticipation.Theworkshop,whichrepresentsacollaborationbetweenthePsychosocialStudyGroupandthePalliativeCareStudyGroup,willbeledbyAndrewDavies,LidiaSchapira,PennySchofield,andGregCrawford.

2018 MASCC/ISOO Pre-Conference Workshops

M A S C C • S u p p o r t i v e C a r e m a k e s e x c e l l e n t c a n c e r c a r e p o s s i b l e

Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org

MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting 2018

SubmitYourAnnualMeetingAbstractbyFebruary9th!February9thisthelastdaytosubmityourabstractforpresentationatthe2018MASCC/ISOOAnnualMeeting.Takethisopportunitytoshareyourworkwithaninternationalassemblyofexpertsinsupportivecancercare. SeetheAnnualMeetingwebsiteforabstracttopicsandtosubmityourabstract.

DistinguishedServiceAwardNominationsDeadline:April1,2018April1isthedeadlinefornominationsforMASCC’sDistinguishedServiceAward!Seetheawardpolicy,selectionprocess,andnominationformatMASCCPoliciesandForms.

TheMASCCDistinguishedServiceAward(DSA)recognizesmeritoriousachievement,exemplaryleadership,andoutstandingcontributionstoMASCCanditsmission.AnyMASCCmembercannominateacandidateforthisaward. NomineesmustbecurrentmembersofMASCCingoodstandingandmusthavemadeasignificantcontributiontoresearch,education,and/orclinicalsupportivecareincancer.TheDSAispresentedeachyearattheMASCC/ISOOAnnualMeeting.ThemostrecentrecipientsincludeDavidWarr(2017),MattiAapro(2016),JørnHerrstedt(2015),DorothyKeefe(2014),DeclanWalsh(2013),andPaulHesketh(2012).

MASCC/ISOO2018—HelpSpreadtheWord!Our2018MeetingToolkit,http://www.mascc.org/meeting-toolkithasyourslidesets,emailsignaturebannersandadvertsfor2018.

BeaMASCCAmbassador!SayafewwordsaboutMASCCandourAnnualMeetingatyournextspeakingengagement.ContactMelissaChinatmchin@mascc.orgforafewMASCCslidestoaddtoyourpresentation.AndjoinusinViennaforanexcitingprogramfeaturingsupportivecareresearchadvancesandclinicalapplications.

VIENNA 2018

SAN FRANCISCO

2019SEVILLE 2020

June 28-30

Future MASCC/ISOO Meetings

YOKAHAMA 2021

June 21-23 TBA TBA

Don’t Forget World Cancer Day — February 4th WorldCancerDayisaglobalobservancethathelpsraisepeople’sawarenessofcancerandhowtoprevent,detect,andtreatit.ThiseventisheldeachyearonFebruary4th— a time when people, businesses, governments, and nonprofit organizations worktogethertohelpthegeneralpubliclearnmoreaboutthedifferenttypesofcancer,howto watch for it, treatments, and preventative measures. The 2016-2018 campaignincludesanemphasisonsupport,sothis isalsoagoodtimetohelpspreadthewordaboutsupportivecancercare—bothforpeoplelivingwithcancerandtheircaregivers.SeethefullstoryintheJanuaryissueoftheSocietyNews.

M A S C C • S u p p o r t i v e C a r e m a k e s e x c e l l e n t c a n c e r c a r e p o s s i b l e

Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org

March 15-16, 2018 The APM ASP Supportive & Palliative Care Conference Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland Bournemouth, UK http://apmonline.org/events/

March 16-17, 2018 16th Annual Course on Anaemia, Neutropenia, Thrombosis, and Cancer Vienna, Austria http://www.anaemiacourse.com

March 22-24, 2018 NCCN 23rd Annual Conference Improving the Quality, Effectiveness, and Efficiency of Cancer Care Orlando, Florida, USA https://www.nccn.org/professionals/meetings/annual_conference.aspx

May 17-20, 2018 ONS 43rd Annual Congress Washington, DC, USA http://congress.ons.org/

Have any news items to share? Please send contributions to Toni at tclark@mascc.org.

Maria Carmina Joyce Alferez, Philippines Pamela Alice Kingsley, India

Rahul D. Arora, India Viorela-Diana Artene, Romania

Sushma Bhatnagar, India Jeff Chadwick, Canada

Sudeshna Ghosh, India Arunangshu Ghoshal, India

Rupam Gill, India M. Joseph John, India

Leslie Johnson, Canada Andr Filipe Junqueira dos Santos, Brazil

Jong-Heun Kim, Republic of Korea Roger Krzyzewski, Poland

Amrith Mathew, India

Osbert Luis Meja Palomino, Peru Greg Mewett, Australia Seema Mishra, India Anuja Pandit, India Lipika Patra, India

Milena Petrovic, Serbia Rajni Rathore, India Roma Rattan, India

Sangeetha Samuel, India Harminder Singh, India

Ishwaria Subbiah, United States Sonia Thomas, United States

Babita P. Abraham Varkey, India Susan Wesmiller, United States

Young Ho Yun, Republic of Korea

MASCC welcomes the new members who joined us in December!

CONFERENCE REMINDERS

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