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

NEWSWelcome to the June Edition of the Society NewsMessage from the Editor, Toni ClarkIn this issue, we feature news about the Italian Network for Supportive Care in Oncology, its support of new MASCC members, and an interview with its President, Fausto Roila. We have news of upcoming conferences and, in honor of International Men’s Health Week, an update on supportive care needs of men with prostate cancer. We also welcome new members from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, The Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, and the United States.

As always, you can find the current and older issues of the MASCC Society News online at www.mascc.org/newsletters or in the back pages of our journal, Supportive Care in Cancer.

June 2015

In 2014, MASCC formally recognized the Italian Network for Supportive Care in Oncology (NICSO).* NICSO is based in Terni, Italy and was founded in 2014 by MASCC members Fausto Roila, Carla Ida Ripamonti, Andrea Antonuzzo, and Paolo Bossi. NICSO is a multidisciplinary organization that promotes knowledge, clinical practice, and research in the field of supportive care in cancer in order to alleviate suffering and improve quality of life.

NICSO is concerned with all aspects of supportive care, including management of symptoms, therapy-related toxicities, and other complications of treatment or disease from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up. The Network promotes epidemiological studies, biomedical research, and educational programs for professional medical and nursing personnel, as well as for patients, patient associations, and volunteers. It also supports young investigators through sponsorship of meetings and awards, as well as through other collaborating institutions.

In accordance with the goal of supporting its members’ scientific development, NICSO’s Board of Directors voted to award complimentary MASCC memberships to the first 30 colleagues to join NICSO. These 30 new members, all from Italy, are physicians, physiotherapists, psychologists, and trainees.

Domenico AgrestaSalvatore AlfieriAlessio BianconiMarcherita ChiavaroliOlga CursioGrazia Dell’OlioPatricia Di PedeAnnarita Di Silvestre

Laura DemurtasGianluca FogazziGuglielmo FumiRaffaele GiustiTania LagonigroMaurizio LucchesiRoberto MagarottoEliana Manzini

Giuseppina MarollaMaria MartelliGianmauro NumicoLaura PalaMaria PessiMarzia PlanamenteMarco PuzzoniEmanuela Romagnoli

Silvia SalaminaClaudia ScialpiFlavia ScialpiEmanuela SonsiniMartina TorchioLaura Velutti

The Italian Network for Supportive Care in Oncology Sponsors 30 New MASCC Members

MASCC President David Warr with NICSO founders Fausto Roila (President), Carla Ida Ripamonti, Andrea Antonuzzo, and Paolo Bossi

MASCC Welcomes 30 New Members Sponsored by NICSO

*Network Italiano per le Cure di Supporto in Oncologia, N.I.C.S.O.; in English, Italian Network for Supportive Care in Oncology).

For more information about NICSO, see: Roila F, Ripamonti CI, Antonuzzo A, Bossi P. NICSO: Network Italiano Cure di Supporto in Oncologia — Italian Network for Supportive Care in Oncology. Support Care Cancer. 2015 Jan;23(1):11-12. And visit the NICSO website: http://www.nicsonet.it (Maurizio Lucchesi, Editor).

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

Supportive care is the theme of this year’s Annual Meeting of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG), to be held November 12-14 in Prague, Czech Republic.

The SIOG Annual Meeting is the leading conference for experts in the field of geriatric oncology with a focus on the understanding and practice of a multidisciplinary approach to treating older adults with cancer. The conference provides a unique opportunity for researchers, clinicians, geriatricians, radiologists, psychologists, nutritionists, nurses, and senior cancer survivor advocates to hear from leading experts and to share information. For this year’s conference, the Society welcomes abstracts on a wide range of topics pertaining to supportive and palliative care in geriatric oncology.

Visit the SIOG website for more information, including abstract submission procedures: http://siog.org

Abstract Deadline: June 14, 2015 - 11:59pm, CET

Early Registration Deadline: June 26, 2015 - 11:59pm, CET

What are the main goals of NICSO? NICSO has two main goals. One is the promotion of clinical research, especially independent research, on supportive care. This can permit us to better define the role of different therapies in practice following approval by regulatory agencies. The other is to support the education and training of physicians and nurses in the importance of supportive care. In October 2014, we established five NICSO Study Groups, each with the objectives of promoting clinical research and spreading knowledge about supportive care.

How have supportive care needs changed with improved treatments and longer survival times?Supportive care needs have increased substantially in recent years due to the introduction of new targeted therapies, which have increased patients’ survival but have also induced new adverse events. The side effects of these treatments — such as fatigue, skin toxicity, peripheral neuropathy, and endocrine toxicity — often negatively affect quality of life. The increased longevity of survivors also brings new supportive care issues, including fertility, cardiomyopathy, bone-health problems, and psychosocial problems.

What types of professional personnel are involved in NICSO?NICSO is a multidisciplinary network open to everyone working with oncology patients: oncologists, hematologists, radiotherapists, oncological surgeons, psycho-oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and general practitioners.

What NICSO research studies are already underway?NICSO promoted three observational studies on supportive care topics to be realized on 2015. One is on the characteristics and treatment of cancer-related fatigue. A second concerns the incidence, grade, and treatment of hypertension due to vascular epidermal growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with kidney and/or liver cancer. A third study concerns the impact of mucositis on patients treated with targeted therapies. These studies are ongoing in several oncological institutions in our country. The hope is that the results of these studies will provide the background for designing double-blind comparative studies.

How does the relationship between NICSO and MASCC benefit cancer research or cancer patients?The relationship with MASCC permits us more contact with other similar European associations (such as AFSOS in France and ASORS in Germany). Working together, we can better plan, organize, and implement international protocol research in supportive therapies and promote expertise in supportive care in Europe. This, in turn, will lead to many benefits for cancer patients — especially, the prevention and treatment of cancer symptoms and adverse effects of antineoplastic therapies.

Is NICSO holding a conference in 2015? In May 2015, NICSO held a “Grandangolo (wide-angle lens)” meeting in Bologna, where many supportive care topics were discussed, including the state of the art as it existed until one or two years ago and an evaluation of advances achieved by recent studies. This meeting was organized in collaboration with Accademia Nazionale di Medicina, More information about this and future conferences will be available on www.accmed.org and on www.nicsonet.it.

Geriatric Oncology & Supportive Care:A Global Approach to Advance the Science

An Interview with NICSO President, Fausto Roila, MD

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

The International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care will hold its 2015 International Conference on Cancer Nursing (ICCN), July 8-11, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The theme of this year’s conference is “Cancer Nursing Research: Global Strategies and Implications for Evidence-Based Practice.”

MASCC represents one of five International Partners, each of which is featured at an International Partner Joint Session (Plenary Session). Karin Olson, past Chair of the MASCC Fatigue Study Group will speak at Plenary Session III, the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) International Partner Joint Session. Olson’s presentation is titled “The Etiology and Management of Fatigue in Individuals with Cancer: An Update.”

Karin Olson, RN, PhD, is a Professor on the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), where she teaches courses on research methods and chronic illness. She also has a clinical practice as a nurse consultant with the Edmonton Zone Palliative Care Program. Her current research interests include the development of an etiological model of fatigue that links behavioral and physiological markers. She defines fatigue as a marker for the inability to adapt to the stresses of disease processes and treatments. Olson is also interested in the different meanings of fatigue across cultures and has recently completed a study comparing descriptions of fatigue provided by individuals with advanced cancer in four countries. Findings suggest that, while the manifestations of fatigue are similar, the meaning and distress associated with these manifestations are socially constructed.

MASCC Partners With ICCN 2015:Karin Olson to Speak on Fatigue in Cancer

International Men’s Health Week 2015 is June 15-21International Men’s Health Week was initiated in 2002 by the Men’s Health Network with the goals of increasing awareness of men’s health issues on a global level and encouraging institutions to develop policies and services to meet the health needs of men, boys, and their families. Participating countries include Australia, Belgium. Denmark, England, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, the United States, and Wales.

Supportive Care Needs of Men with Prostate CancerAmong men’s health issues, those deriving from cancer and its treatment represent numerous challenges and opportunities for supportive care. After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It is a source of both physical and emotional problems for men, as well as being a significant burden on healthcare resources. Supportive care provides one way of addressing both of these burdens.

While the impact of prostate cancer therapy has been widely studied, long-term healthcare needs following cancer treatment are not well understood. Several recent studies document the unmet supportive care needs of men with prostate cancer, including psychological, sexual, and health system and information needs. It is not known how supportive care needs might change over time, as men live with and beyond prostate cancer, or how demographic or other variables might affect these needs. Also, men and their partners may have different educational and supportive needs through the cancer continuum. There remains a need for specific guidance on how to provide supportive care to both men with advanced prostate cancer and those with long-term post-treatment needs.

Sources: Br J Cancer 2013.109, 2121–2130 (Cockle-Hearne et al); Oncol Nurs Forum 2014. Jul 1;41(4):421-30 (Carter et al); Support Care Cancer 2014 Nov 26 (Jensen et al); Eur J Oncol Nurs 2014 Dec 24 (Lehto et al); Eur J Oncol Nurs 2015 Jan 19 (Paterson et al); Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2015 Jan 29 (King et al); Psyychooncology 2015 Mar;24(3):341-7 (Bobridge et al).

Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium: Patient-Centered Care Across the Cancer ContinuumMASCC will once again co-sponsor the Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium. to be held in Boston, Massachusetts, October 9-10, 2015. This second annual meeting will address palliative and supportive care across the entire cancer care continuum and provides opportunities for interactions within and across specialties for physicians, nurses, supportive and palliative care specialists, psychologists, social workers, hospice professionals, and others. A preliminary program, call for abstracts, and information about new networking events are available at pallonc.org. Abstract Submission Deadline: June 23, 2015

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

Have any news items to share?Please send contributions for the MASCC News to MASCCnews@mascc.org

or to Toni Clark, Editor at tclark@mascc.org

For more information please contact: Åge Schultz, MASCC Executive Director: aschultz@mascc.org

New MASCC MembersIn addition to the new members from Italy listed above, MASCC welcomes the following new members who joined us in March.

Antoinetta J.M. Beijers, The NetherlandsEva Bloda, United StatesRalph Boccia, United StatesCarol Angela Bowman, CanadaNorman Brito-Dellan, United StatesSimone Cheli, ItalySydney Dy, United StatesStefane Gaudry, CanadaJames Gunn, AustraliaJacqueline Hui, CanadaStanley Hung, CanadaDal Sook Kim, Republic of KoreaThomas Kretz, GermanyBernice Kwong, United StatesKrishna Mohan Mallavarapu, IndiaLaurent Martin, FranceDavid Mayr, AustriaMargaret McNeely, CanadaFarah Mougeot, United StatesKhanh Nguyen, United StatesDaniel Nguyen, CanadaSo Yeon Oh, Republic of KoreaSo Young Park, Republic of KoreaSilvina Pugliese, United StatesNicolas Saffon, FranceCleo Samuel, United StatesHariharan Seetharaman, Trinidad and TobagoFiliz Senler, TurkeyPrashant Sharma, United StatesShivani Shinde, United StatesVincent Sibaud, FranceCarlos Silva, BrazilHui-Yen Teng, TaiwanNancy Thompson, United StatesEmmanuelle Vigarios, FranceCollin Zimmerman, United States