Message from Anna Boltong, MASCC Board Member and Chair of the Consumer Engagement Committee

Dear Colleagues,

This message comes as I reflect on my time as a Board member of MASCC and on the developments of the Society over the past years. I have been connected to MASCC for over a decade and have had many highly valued professional connections and contributions across this period - starting as co-editor of the MASCC Society News as a supportive care PhD candidate in 2010, with (now) Associate Professor Anna Ugalde. I have worked under the supreme stewardship of three MASCC Chairs during my Board tenure (Ian Olver, Raj Lalla and Andrew Davies) and am delighted that MASSC will welcome its second ever female Board Chair from mid year – Maryam Lustberg. Second of course to Professor Dorothy Keefe, another extraordinary MASCC leader, who I now have the absolute pleasure of working with in her role as CEO of Cancer Australia (and mine as Head of National Cancer Control). I will complete my tenure as Board representative with a great feeling of accomplishment after establishing MASCC’s inaugural Consumer (Patient) Engagement Committee in the last 12 months. With my exceptional committee members and peers (Joanne Britto, Andreas Charalambous, Yin Ting Cheung, Bogda Koczwara, Maryam Lustberg, Elaine Tomlins, and Hannah Wardill) we have set a vision for enhanced patient engagement in MASCC’s strategy that we are confident will set the scene for mutual benefit, supporting MASCC to move into a new era of relevance as it future-proofs itself as a global leader in patient-centred design of education, research and excellent supportive care.

In the first year of the committee’s establishment, we have:

1. Co-ordinated effective consumer engagement at MASCC2021 through two discrete meeting sessions and social media leadership
2. Obtained ethics approval to conduct a qualitative research project to explore expectations, enablers, and barriers to consumer engagement with MASCC activities; and received 343 survey responses globally
3. Developed a terminology statement to describe what is meant by ‘consumer’ (patient) engagement to ensure language used maintains global relevance
4. Worked closely with the MASCC staff team, MASCC Executive, MASCC2022 meeting convener and Membership Committee to update patient advocate meeting registration protocols; and a proposed new category of MASCC membership
5. Drafted a Consumer Engagement Framework for MASCC

Plans for the 12 months ahead are to:

1. Lead a ‘Meet the experts’ session at MASCC2022 on patient engagement
2. Develop a public MASCC Consumer Engagement statement
3. Submit a manuscript on qualitative research findings to a peer-reviewed journal
4. Co-design and test a consumer engagement model for MASCC

I look forward to continuing the work on these important initiatives.

New Learning Modules Available for Members

From Cure to Care: Early Multidisciplinary Approaches for the Management of Cancer Patients

Learn the latest on:

• Remote patient management during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Background Pain and BTcP Management
• Integrating Supportive Care into Oncological Treatment

Watch Now

Register Today!

Register now for the MASCC/ISOO 2022 Annual Meeting to take advantage of early bird pricing! Join us in Toronto for three days of cutting-edge research, practical workshops, and lots of networking opportunities.

A virtual option is also available: please see our website for more information on which sessions will be live-streamed and for virtual registration rates.

VIEW THE PROGRAM

REGISTER NOW

Call for Late-Breaker Abstracts

The call for Late-Breaker Abstracts will open February 15, 2022. Submissions will be due by March 16, 2022. Watch for announcements by email and on our social media!

All accepted abstracts require at least ONE (1) author to be registered by the Early Bird Deadline to be included in the journal and scientific program.

Win Free Registration to the MASCC/ISOO 2022 Annual Meeting by Filling Out Our Survey! 

We’re gathering feedback from our stakeholders to help us improve our services. Please share your opinions with us by completing this anonymous survey. It should take between 5 and 15 minutes to complete. Upon completion, you will be eligible to enter to win a free registration to the MASCC/ISOO 2022 Annual Meeting.

The survey will be open until Friday, February 11, 2022.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at mascc.office@mascc.org.

Complete the survey

Webinar: Oral Complications of Immunotherapies and TKIs: Similarities and Differences to Conventional Oral Mucositis 

Thursday, March 3, 2022 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST / 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM CET / 6:30 AM - 7:30 AM ACDT (+1 day)

Learning Objectives:

• To increase awareness about the risk of mucositis induced by immunotherapy and targeted agents in cancer patients
• To analyze different molecular pathways involved in the development of mucositis by targeted agents and by immunotherapy and to compare them with the pathogenesis of chemotherapy-induced mucositis
• To define the essential information needed by HCPs to prevent and manage mucositis induced by these agents
• To discuss the needs in preclinical and clinical research in this field

Register Now

Webinar: Get the Most Out of Your MASCC Membership!

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST / 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM CET

This webinar is THE opportunity to find out more about MASCC and network with some like-minded people! 

Learn how: 

• To get the most out of your membership
• To start building your international network with the leaders in supportive care
• To get involved in study group projects

…And where to start!

We will also be available to answer any questions you may have: please submit your questions during registration and we will be sure to address them during the webinar. We look forward to meeting you!

Register Now 

New Translations of Mucositis Guidelines Now Available

Now available from the Mucositis Study Group, the MASCC/ISOO clinical practice guidelines for the management of mucositis (2019-2020) have been translated into 8 languages: Arabic, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese (Portugal), and Spanish.

Thanks to Catherine Hong, Paolo Bossi, and Sharon Elad for general management and coordination of the project, and special thanks to the MSG members who translated the guidelines.

Click here to download 

OncoFit: From Sports Lab to Cancer Clinic

Date: March 18 – 19, 2022
Location: Centro de Reabilitação do Norte, Valadares, Portugal

From March 18 -19, 2022, Oncofit (2nd Edition): From Sports Lab to Cancer Clinic will take place in Portugal, hosted by our Affiliate AICSO alongside OncoMove. Click below to learn more:

View the program
Register Now
Submit an Abstract

Call for Nominations for the MASCC Distinguished Service Award! 

The MASCC Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recognizes meritorious service and outstanding contributions to MASCC and its mission. Award recipients are nominated by their peers and should demonstrate exemplary leadership and accomplishments in research, education, and/or clinical supportive cancer care. The award is presented each year at the MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting.

To nominate a peer, please review the policies and download the nomination form below. Nomination forms may be submitted by email to events@mascc.org by April 1, 2022.

Nomination Form and Policies 

Previous DSA Recipients 

Care for Patients with Advanced Cancer in the Last Weeks of Life in Brazil

Just published in the Brazilian Journal of Clinical Oncology, Care for patients with advanced cancer in the last weeks of life in Brazil was a collaborative effort between the MASCC Palliative Care Study Group and our partner SBOC.

This article outlines the basic skills that are expected of oncologists in connection with palliative care, such as recognition of the prognosis, identification and correct assessment of symptoms, definition of the time to stop antineoplastic therapy, how to communicate these aspects to patients and family, how to involve psychosocial and spiritual issues and, finally, how to stay within the limits established by modern bioethics.

Read the full article on our website

MOATT Now Available in Estonian

The Education Study Group has recently created an Estonian translation of the MASCC Oral Agent Teaching Tool (MOATT).

This tool is an evidence-based tool to assist clinicians caring for patients prescribed oral anticancer agents. A companion user guide provides an introduction to the tool and explanation of how best to use the MOATT. The MOATT has now been translated into six languages and we encourage translations in other languages. Information on the MOATT, approval for use and translation policy are available on the MASCC website.

Click here to download 

The Study Group Spotlight features some of the exciting work undertaken each month by our many Study Groups.

Survivorship Study Group

How has telemedicine changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how might it continue to evolve in the post-pandemic period? That’s the question that the Survivorship Study Group is currently trying to answer with their latest project: an international scoping mixed-methods study evaluating the previous, current, and projected future changes in telehealth in both cancer survivorship and general cancer care.

There has always been significant variation in how general cancer and survivorship care are delivered between different cancer centers and region of the world (including modes of delivery, roles of interdisciplinary health care providers, use of technology, and domains of focus). Since the onset of the pandemic, there has also been rapid uptake in the use of technology, including telehealth and virtual care - and this has led to a number of benefits. Developing a better understanding of these changes, and the outcomes of the different strategies and approaches used, will help to optimize general and survivorship care going forward.

The Study Group plans to distribute a survey towards the middle / end of 2022 to members of different institutions, and subsequently invite respondents for a more detailed qualitative interview. Our goal is to better understand some of the current changes in practice and how respondents envision things might change in the future. Ultimately, we hope that this research will contribute to informing best telehealth practices of delivering cancer care during the pandemic and beyond.

The “Editor’s Pick” section is chosen by the journal’s Editor-In-Chief, Dr Fred Ashbury, PhD, and will cover a variety of topics to meet the many interests of our membership.

This month we feature:
Cancer-related psychosocial factors and self-reported changes in lifestyle among gynecological cancer survivors: cross-sectional analysis of PROFILES registry data

Obesity is prevalent in gynecological cancer survivors and is associated with impaired health outcomes. Concerns due to cancer and its treatment may impact changes in lifestyle after cancer. This study aimed to assess the association between cancer-related psychosocial factors and changes in physical activity and diet, 18 months after initial treatment among gynecological cancer survivors.

Ongoing
Oncology Pharmacotherapy and Applications of Biosimilars Program
Virtual Education Program

February 14, 2022
Cancer Mission International Brokerage Event
Virtual

February 23 - 25, 2022
International Conference on Cancer Nursing 2022
Virtual

March 3, 2022
MASCC/ISOO Webinar: Oral Complications of Immunotherapies and TKIs: Similarities and Differences to Conventional Oral Mucositis
Virtual

March 4 - 5, 2022
ISOPP 2022 Virtual Symposium
Virtual

March 9, 2022
MASCC Webinar: Get the Most Out of Your MASCC Membership!
Virtual

March 17 - 18, 2022
ESCTOX / UKASCC Conference
Virtual

March 18 – 19, 2022
Oncofit
Valadares, Portugal

April 5, 2022
MASCC Webinar: Cancer Associated Thrombosis: Optimising Patient Care and Navigating Clinical Challenges
Virtual

April 10 - 13, 2022
2022 Australian Pain Society 42nd Annual Scientific Meeting
Hobart, Australia

April 27 - May 1, 2022
ONS Congress 2022
Anaheim, USA

May 9 - 10, 2022
Grandangolo in Oncologia. Focus su terapie di supporto 2022
Bologna, Italy & Virtual

May 13 - 14, 2022
5th Symposium on Cancer Survivorship for Clinicians
Seattle, USA

June 3 - 7, 2022
ASCO Annual Meeting
Chicago, USA & Virtual

June 23 - 25, 2022
MASCC/ISOO 2022 Annual Meeting
Toronto, Canada & Virtual

July 21 - 23, 2022
3rd and 4th Joint Sapporo Conference for Palliative and Supportive Care in Cancer
Sapporo, Japan

October 13 - 15, 2022
Australasian International Breast Congress (AIBC2022)
Brisbane, Australia

Brazil: Manoela Martins
Canada: Courtney Jones, Jennifer Kwan
Ecuador: Estefania Bautista, Patricia Bonilla, Pablo Aldaz, Tamara Rodriguez
Italy: Claudia Maggiore, Cristina Rossi, Stefano Magno
Portugal: Antonio Alberto Fernandes Dantas Silva, Agostinho José Alves Jesus, Alcina Maria Nogueira Maia da Costa Almeida, Alice Maria Coelho Oliveira, Angelina Maria Monteiro de Pinho Silva Paiva, Antonio Ricardo Ferreira Silva, António Santos Ferreira Reis, Ana Maria Monteiro Pinho Silva Paiva, Bruno Miguel dos Santos Alves, Carla Isabel Monteiro Branco, Cátia Andreia Abreu de Oliveira, Conceição Monteiro, Maria Conceição Pereira Lopes, Ana da Conceição Antunes de Sousa, Rosa Maria Ramos Vieira Nunes, Emilia Maria da Cunha Soares, Maria Fátima Santos Silva, Marina Sousa Cardoso, Manuel Teixeira Costa, João Picas Mendes, Joaquim Gomes Cunha, Rosa Paula Castro Lima Andrade, Maria Antónia Matos da Silva Valente da Cunha, Maria Manuela Afonso Póvoa Giro, Tania Cassia Guimarães Bonfim Triães, Maria Estrela Sousa Ferreira, Maria Gabriela Pinto Dias Silva, Maria Augusta Andrade Tavares Noronha, Francisco Fonte Moreira, Conceição Gonçalves, Maria José Sampaio Monteiro Sobrinho, Manuel Jesus Bastos Antonio Silva Moreira, José Sousa Lopes Capela, Adriano Ferreira Santos, Manuel Fernando Santos Natário, José Neves Pinto Alves, Paulino Valdemar Ferreira Correia, Antonio Melo Sousa Castro, Maria Helena Cavalcanti Marques da Silva Costa, Isabel Maria Ferreira Vieira Nobre Joaquim, José Antonio Jesus Martins, Júlia Fernanda dos Santos Oliveira, Liliana Maria Cerqueira Azevedo, Maria de Lourdes Rocha Cunha Roncha, Maria Dores Spencer Rodrigues, Maria Emilia Alves, Maria Fernanda Mendes Gonçalves, Antonio Sousa Magalhaes, Manuel Serafim Vaz Simões, Marta Sofia Carvalho Caiado de Araújo Dias, Maria Amélia Lopes Santos, Domingos Moreira Sousa, Zélia Fernanda Castro Neves Ribeiro Santos, Sílvia Aliete Teixeira Casteloa, Sofia Viamonte, Maria Celeste da Silva Sousa, Victor Manuel Vilela Aço Pereira
Turkey: Hulya Dagotturen
United Kingdom: Elaine Tomlins
United States: Eunju Choi, Micaela Beckman, Ruth Phillips, Sakeena Fatima