2020    MASCC will take part in the 2020 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the European Nursing Society (EONS), which is being held virtually this year . Don't miss this joint session on 10/17: Established and new treatments, old and new toxicities (in collaboration with MASCC), with chairs, Karin Jordan, MD, of Heidelberg, Germany, and Florian Scotté, MD, PhD, of Villejuif, France. The ESMO session (with MASCC member speakers) will include:

2020    50% Membership Discount to nurses renewing their MASCC membership or new members joining MASCC.

2020    For some years the MASCC Board has recognized the need for a definitive paper that focuses on supportive care in cancer. A group of longstanding MASCC members – Ian Olver, Dorothy Keefe, Jørn Herrstedt, David Warr, Fausto Roila, and Carla Ripamonti – took on this challenge and published “Supportive care in cancer – a MASCC perspective” in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer. "This year sees the 30th anniversary of the formation of MASCC, which makes it timely to review the role of supportive care in oncology practice" says Andrew Davies, MASCC president. "The article highlights the importance of supportive care in facilitating optimal treatment, and equally in maintaining or improving quality of life."

2020     Young Investigator Awards and Travel Scholarship Awards

2020    MASCC is always working to make sure we maintain a brand that resonates with our members and keeps us current. As part of our continued efforts to connect with the supportive cancer care community, we are updating our association’s logo. The logo is featured on all of MASCC’s branding materials, including publications, web pages, conference materials, resources, etc.

2020   MASCC recently offered a FREE webinar, “Supportive care in cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.” A panel of MASCC experts led a virtual discussion on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts cancer patients and how healthcare professionals can support them during the pandemic. Topics included next steps after the crisis is resolved; precautions to take in the months ahead with a potential second wave; and impacts on oncology research including ongoing and planned clinical trials.  The speakers included MASCC members Speakers: Drs. Paolo Bossi, Florian Scotté, Breffni Hannon, Anant Ramaswamy; Moderator: Dr. Rajesh Lalla.   Click Here to view.

2020    Andrew Davies, MB BS, MSc, MD, FRCP, took office as MASCC's new President in June, succeeding Rajesh Lalla, DDS, PhD, who has served as President since June 2018. Andrew is a Consultant in Palliative Medicine at the Royal Surrey County Hospital (St. Luke’s Cancer Centre) in Guildford in the United Kingdom. He is a longstanding member of MASCC and has served as a Board Member, the Chair of the Palliative Care study group, and Chair of the Annual Meeting in San Francisco (2019) and Seville (2020/2021).

2020    On June 25, 2020, MASCC offered a FREE webinar, “Supportive care in cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.” A panel of MASCC experts led a virtual discussion on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts cancer patients and how healthcare professionals can support them during the pandemic. Topics included next steps after the crisis is resolved; precautions to take in the months ahead with a potential second wave; and impacts on oncology research including ongoing and planned clinical trials.  The speakers included MASCC members Speakers: Drs. Paolo Bossi, Florian Scotté, Breffni Hannon, Anant Ramaswamy; Moderator: Dr. Rajesh Lalla. Click Here to view.

2020    MASCC announces the Study Group Leadership changes for 2020/2022. For the full roster of study group leaders, visit individual study groups on the MASCC website.  Be sure to stay in touch with your Study Groups and get involved in their projects. It's the best way to take full advantage of your MASCC membership and work with like-minded colleagues around the world. Contact Study Group Coordinator Leslie Johnson for more information.

2020    RESERVE YOUR PLACE  -  MASCC is offering a FREE webinar, “Supportive care in cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.” A panel of MASCC experts will lead a virtual discussion on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts cancer patients and how healthcare professionals can support them during the pandemic. Topics will include next steps after the crisis is resolved; precautions to take in the months ahead with a potential second wave; and impacts on oncology research including ongoing and planned clinical trials.

2020   DEADLINE EXTENDED: 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.

2020    Stanford University’s Center for Continuing Medical Educations is offering a new online course, “Health After Cancer.” It features the basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors and narrated by a primary care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. The free course takes only 90 minutes to complete and is available for CME credit through the Stanford Center for Continuing Medical Education.

During the course, participants learn that Amelia is a young adult survivor of childhood cancer, Seema is a postmenopausal woman with early stage breast cancer experiencing a gamut of distressing side-effects from antiestrogen therapy, Bob is a middle-aged man treated for HPV+ head and neck cancer struggling with symptoms many months after the end of his treatment, and Richard is a vibrant college professor who chose to be screened and treated for prostate cancer and was later faced with complications from his treatment.

2020    MASCC is proud to announce a record growth in the number of memberships over the last one year. The number of MASCC members has grown from 1040 in May 2019 to 1581 in May 2020, an increase of over 50%. The increase in membership marks one of the top strategic priorities for outgoing MASCC President Rajesh Lalla and the Membership Committee. “Our success is due to strong partnerships with supportive cancer care leaders, advocates, and change-makers across the globe,” said Lalla.

2020    MASCC invites nurses in supportive cancer care to take advantage of a new initiative, the Year of the Nurse Membership Discount Program. MASCC is offering a 50% discount on membership dues to all nurses, both renewing members and nurses who become new members in 2020. This year-long program honors the World Health Organization’s (WHO) designation of 2020 as ‘Year of the Nurse and Midwife’ in honor of Florence Nightingale and her 200th anniversary.  She was born May 12, 1820 and is and considered the founder of modern nursing.

2020    Stanford University is seeking to recruit a highly motivated individual with a doctoral degree in psychology (e.g., clinical, counseling, social, educational), epidemiology, public health, medicine, nursing, or a related social science field with an interest in developing expertise in conducting cancer-related behavioral intervention trials. Individuals from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups are encouraged to apply. Prior research experience or training in behavioral sleep medicine is a plus, but is not essential.  A major focus of the lab is to understand the association between sleep and cancer treatment outcomes. The successful candidate will work as a member of a large, multi-site research team that will evaluate the impact of a behavioral intervention on sleep and be involved in studies evaluating neurocognitive impairment in cancer patients.

2020    MASCC is pleased to announce the results of the recent election for the 2020 – 2022 MASCC Board. The following candidates were elected by the MASCC membership for a 2 year term, which will begin at an online Board meeting being planned for June 2020 (listed in alphabetical order):

2020    Applications due May 12th, 2020.   MASCC is searching for an Annual Meeting Chair (AMC).  This exciting voluntary senior leadership position is your opportunity to network internationally and serve the greater cause of expanding supportive cancer care. The AMC has overall responsibility for working in cooperation with the Professional Conference Organizer (PCO) on all aspects of MASCC’s annual meeting organization.

2020    To aid our members during this difficult and uncertain time, MASCC is sharing links to COVID-19 related information, including management of oncology patients. Our website will be updated as new resources are released or shared with us. The resources listed are intended to guide members to information most useful to them.
Categories include: groups with an oncology focus, general information for healthcare professionals, webinars and workshops, and scientific journals. 
Members are encouraged to share relevant links. Send suggestions to Angela Perez at [email protected].

2020    MASCC has recently become a member of the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO). We are looking for members to volunteer to be part of the MASCC-ECCO working group to represent supportive cancer care. ECCO, based in Europe, is a not-for-profit federation of member organizations working to reduce the burden of cancer and improve outcomes and the quality of care for cancer patients. The organization weighs in on European Union policy, advocates for positive change, and serves as a united voice for the European cancer community.

2020    To aid our members during this difficult and uncertain time, MASCC is sharing links to COVID-19 related information, including management of oncology patients.  Our website will be updated as new resources are released or shared with us.   The resources listed are intended to guide members to information most useful to them.  Categories include: groups with an oncology focus, general information for healthcare professionals, and scientific journals.  Members are encouraged to share relevant links. Send suggestions to Angela Perez at [email protected].