Based on a Report by Dr. Sandip Mukhopadhyay, MASCC Ambassador for India
The first-ever “Best of MASCC” meeting took place September 1-2, 2018 in Mumbai, India, and was attended by 270 delegates. The Program Directors were Dr. Shona Nag and Dr. Sudeep Gupta. Long-time MASCC member, Dr. Matti Aapro, delivered the keynote address on the topic of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Other faculty and panelists included MASCC members Dr. Sandip Mukhopadhyay, Dr. Arun Ghoshal, and Dr. Manish Kumar, as well as oncologists and palliative care physicians representing different regions of India. The attendees, largely medical and radiation oncologists but also including palliative care physicians and paramedics, greeted the program with great enthusiasm and interest.
The program featured 24 speaker sessions and four panel discussions that covered state-of-the-art treatment modalities, new therapies, and ongoing advancements in the field. The wide range of topics included symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatments, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, anorexia-cachexia syndrome, neutropenia and infection, hair loss, peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, diarrhea, and skin disorders. Other topics included several drug-related issues, such as the risks and safety of chemotherapy, pharmaco-economics, and antiemetics in children. Case presentation topics included oral care and mucositis, bone care and cancer pain, infection in cancer patients, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Panel discussions, which afforded opportunities for audience participation and brainstorming with recognized experts, addressed cancer pain, febrile neutropenia and infection, highly emetogenic chemotherapy and related risk factors, and moderately, lowly, and minimally emetogenic chemotherapy.
Before the close of the meeting, Program Director Dr. Sudeep Gupta announced the formation of a new society, the Indian Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (IASCC), to be established in affiliation with MASCC and under the aegis of Nag Foundation (an NGO). Dr. D. C. Doval will serve as IASCC’s first President, Dr. Shona Nag as Vice-President, and Dr. Vikas Ostwal as Honorary Secretary.
The meeting was supported by a generous educational grant from Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, a leading pharmaceutical company in India, as well as the Indian Oncology Foundation, Nag Foundation, Women’s Cancer Initiative, and the Kolkata Breast Health and Welfare Association.
