2022     Recently published through Springer, Orofacial Supportive Care in Cancer: A Contemporary Oral Oncology Perspective is an easy-to-use book which will equip clinicians and health care professionals with all the information that they need to identify and manage orofacial complications of cancer therapy. 

2021      Every month, we share articles from the MASCC journal Supportive Care in Cancer. The “Editor’s Pick” section, chosen by the journal’s Editor-In-Chief, Dr Fred Ashbury, PhD, will cover a variety of topics to meet the many interests of our membership. This month we feature:

2021    Participate in Oral Mucositis Awareness Day this coming Tuesday, April 6!  This is an advocacy effort in support of Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Awareness Week and in support of Esophageal, Oral, and Head & Neck Cancer Awareness month. Oral Mucositis can take cancer patients by surprise. Many report that when it comes to this side effect, they feel lost, in pain, isolated, unsupported, and on their own. Help raise awareness by posting the Oral Mucositis Awareness Circle on social media, along with Oral Mucositis tips and information - use the tags #MoreThanASore,  #OMAD21,  #OralMucositis. Visit MucositisAwareness.org for more information and to download the Oral Mucositis Awareness Circle.

2021    Now we are 30: 10 more years of MASCC - Ian N. Olver, Melissa Chin, Rajesh V. Lalla
Supportive Care in Cancer Journal 2021. 29:1713-1718

2020    Earlier this fall, the European Cancer Organisation launched the European Code of Cancer Practice (The Code), a patient-centered initiative which identifies 10 key patient rights that underpin the delivery of good clinical cancer practice. The Code was created to improve patient survival and quality of life. The rights signpost what all cancer patients should expect from their health system and addresses inequalities in access to optimal high-quality cancer treatment and care. The initiative also highlights the need for public information about cancer, survivorship support, integrated cancer research, and innovative access to optimal high-quality cancer treatment and care.

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    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    This month, we are sharing a recent article published by MASCC members in the MASCC journal Supportive Care in Cancer. With the rapidly changing and evolving practice in managing COVID-19, MASCC would like to share information on our members’ professional experiences amongst our community. If you are interested and able to share your professional experiences, advice and advancements during this time of international crisis, we will find a convenient time in your schedule for a brief 30-minute interview. Please contact Angela Perez today at [email protected].

2019    The current opioid crisis and efforts to curb it may be contributing to inadequate cancer pain management. This was the core takeaway of the first step in a national initiative in Canada to investigate the impact of the opioid crisis on cancer pain management. Other important insights included the identification of major knowledge gaps, inconsistent reporting of harms, and systems and regulatory impacts that may have significant negative effects on the delivery of cancer pain management.

2019    Anthracycline therapy is a mainstay for breast cancer and many other cancers, but it is associated with a rate of incident heart failure more than five times the average. Preclinical studies of anthracycline-induced myocardial damage show that the substrate for heart failure is myocardial fibrosis preceded by myocardial edema or inflammation. Loss of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) may also contribute to myocardial damage. The detection of early changes via blood biomarkers is challenging. However, recently, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been successfully used to detect post-treatment anthracycline-induced fibrosis through T1 mapping, paralleling a decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

2019    Alex Molassiotis and Alex Chan are among the co-authors of a recent study of risk factors for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) among patients receiving taxane-based and platinum-based chemotherapy.¹ CIPN is a significant side effect of neurotoxic chemo-therapies and one that is difficult to manage. Although several risk factors for CIPN have been identified, methodological limitations in much past research limit knowledge about such risks. Molassiotis and his colleagues undertook this study to assess the relative contributions of a wider range of potential risk factors than previously studied.

2015    On September 2, 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved rolapitant (Varubi™) for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Rolapitant, developed by Tesaro, Inc., is a selective and competitive neurokinin 1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist and is relatively long-acting with a half-life of about 7 days). The approval was based on three phase III clinical trials conducted by a research team that included MASCC members Bernardo Rapoport, Martin Chasen, Allen Poma, Lee Schwartzberg, and Rudolph Navari. These randomized, double-blind, controlled trials established the safety and efficacy of rolapitant. The drug was associated with a significant reduction in vomiting and use of rescue antiemetic drugs. Patients treated with rolapitant also reported both fewer episodes of nausea that interfered with their day-to-day life.

2015    The year 2014 marked the 40th anniversary of the International Association of the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), a global organization that works to enhance the understanding of lung cancer among scientists, members of the medical community, and the public.* MASCC and IASLC frequently collaborate to address the challenges of lung cancer, its symptoms, including cough and breathlessness, and their management. The new MASCC Respiratory Study Group has identified breathlessness as its first priority for developing evidence-based guidelines.

2010    The Group Room at the 35th European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Milan, Italy, was the debut of our full video format in Europe and is now available for viewing and posting. Watch all of this year's special feature interviews here. You can also watch these videos and more on the Vital Options YouTube Channel.