Download Profile of the Canadian Palliative Radiation Oncology Group (CPROG)

MASCC • Supportive Care makes excellent cancer care possible
NEWS
December 2014
Welcome to the December Edition of the MASCC Society News
Message from Editors Anna Ugalde and Anna Boltong
For the final newsletter of 2014, we profile the Canadian Palliative Radiation Oncology Group, which is a network of clinical
investigators actively advancing palliative radiation therapy. We also keep you up to date with MASCC’s presence at several recent
conferences. We profile three new members and present a diverse list of publications from MASCC members. Happy holidays
and we look forward to keeping you updated with MASCC achievements and important news in 2015.
From your editors, Anna & Anna
Profile of the Canadian Palliative
Radiation Oncology Group (CPROG)
In this edition we profile CPROG, a group dedicated to improving palliative
radiation therapy.
What is CPROG?
The Canadian Palliative Radiation Oncology Group (CPROG) is a network of
clinical investigators with a passion for advancing the practice of palliative
radiation therapy. The network consists predominantly of radiation oncologists,
but also has the support of radiation therapists, nurses, pharmacists, physicists,
and methodologists who are champions in this area.
Who leads CPROG?
CPROG is currently led by Dr. Kristopher Dennis and was founded by Dr.
Rebecca Wong, both of whom are members of MASCC.
Dr. Kristopher Dennis MD FRCPC
Dr. Kristopher Dennis MD FRCPC is a radiation oncologist at the Radiation
Medicine Program of The Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where he leads the Palliative Radiation Therapy
Program, and an assistant professor in the Division of Radiation Oncology at the University of Ottawa. His research interests
include optimizing the quality and efficiency of common palliative radiation therapy prescriptions and understanding and
preventing symptoms associated with advanced cancers and their treatments. Dr. Dennis took over leadership of CPROG in
2014. Dr. Dennis has been a MASCC member since 2010 and currently participates in the activities of the MASCC antiemetic
and bone Study Groups. Dr. Dennis is also a deputy associate editor for Supportive Care in Cancer (SCC).
Dr. Rebecca Wong MBChB FRCPC MSc is a radiation oncologist at the
Princess Margaret Cancer Center of the University Health Network, in Toronto,
Ontario, Canada, where she acts as Director of the Clinical Trials Program, and
a professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of
Toronto, where she acts as Vice Chair of Education. Her research interests
include patients living with advanced cancer and gastrointestinal malignancies.
Dr. Wong is the founder of CPROG. She has been a MASCC member since
1998 and has participated in various study groups, with notable contributions to
the MASCC Handbook of Cancer Supportive Medicine and Survivorship, and
the MASCC guideline on skin toxicity. She has published extensively, including
articles in SCC, and reviews for our journal regularly.
What does CPROG do and who are the key partners?
CPROG, along with the Supportive Care Advisory Group (SCADG) of the
Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO), is the voice of palliative
radiation therapy in Canada, and reports its activities to CARO annually. A
close working relationship with the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical
Trials Group (NCIC CTG) has also led to the successful launch and completion
of clinical trials in palliative radiation therapy and supportive care.
Dr. Rebecca Wong MBChB FRCPC MSc
Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org
MASCC • Supportive Care makes excellent cancer care possible
Profile of the Canadian Palliative Radiation Oncology Group,
continued
How do CPROG members connect?
CPROG had its beginnings in 2000 and in its current form convenes members during the academic year via a monthly
webinar. It serves as a forum to discuss and develop research proposals and innovative care models, as a host for special guest
speakers, and as a peer working group to share practice patterns and philosophies and contribute to case-based discussions.
Why is this forum so important?
Palliative radiation therapy is practiced by all radiation oncologists, but champions with a dedicated clinical focus or research
interest are sometimes underrepresented and can become isolated within their practice settings.
Why and how should I join?
CPROG wishes to increase its membership by offering an open invitation to those with an interest in palliative radiation therapy
in the global community. Indeed, regular and corresponding members from Kuwait, Spain, Australia and the United States
have recently joined. Increased membership will enrich CPROG’s scope and discussions, grow the network of support for
champions of palliative radiation therapy practice and research, and ultimately lead to better care for patients living with
advanced cancer.
To join the CPROG membership, or for further information, please contact Kris Dennis at: [email protected]
A Perspective on the ASCO Palliative Care
Symposium from Dr. Dorothy Keefe
Dorothy Keefe MD, MBBS, FRACP, FRCP spoke at the opening session and also
delivered a Keynote Address, at the American Society for Clinical Oncology
(ASCO) Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium, held in Boston, Massachusetts,
October 24-25. Her Keynote Address was titled “Supportive Care and the
Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Perspective.” Dr. Keefe is
Director, South Australian Cancer Center, Professor of Cancer Medicine at the
University of Adelaide, and Past President of MASCC. Dr. Keefe served on both
the Planning Committee and the Steering Committee for the ASCO Palliative Care
Symposium.
MASCC staff had an opportunity to interview Dr. Keefe on Friday afternoon at the
Symposium.
Why is MASCC here at the ASCO Palliative Care Symposium?
ASCO approached MASCC to be a co-sponsor of the Palliative Care Symposium
this year. While we do have different interpretations of the terminology, we
wouldn’t want this difference to get in the way of better patient care. And indeed,
our similarities far outweigh our differences. So MASCC accepted the invitation to
partner with ASCO. My service on the Planning Committee has given MASCC a
voice in planning the program and inviting the speakers.
How do you see the two organizations working together in the future?
In the past several decades, there have been other collaborations, and we've had sessions at each other’s meetings. ASCO’s
annual meeting has not usually had a high percentage of presentations on palliative and supportive care. Supporting ASCO in
offering these sessions is important to us and gives MASCC more presence in the US, which has an enormous cancer treatment
community and worldwide influence. Partnering with ASCO gives us an entree to a large group of healthcare providers. In
turn, MASCC brings to ASCO its international expertise in this area. So the partnership benefits both organizations.
What is the difference between palliative care and supportive care?
MASCC has defined supportive care to mean the prevention and management of the adverse effects of cancer and its
treatment across the entire continuum of the cancer experience, from diagnosis through post-treatment care. Palliative care, in
contrast, started out meaning end-of-life care, though it has evolved through the last decade to mean more than that. And
recently, ASCO has begun to redefine palliative care as beginning at diagnosis and progressing throughout treatment. The term
palliative care is off-putting to some patients, so many cancer clinics and centers have begun to use the term supportive care
more widely. MASCC sees supportive care as the umbrella term that incorporates palliative care. From MASCC’s perspective,
much of supportive care is early treatment.
What is your impression of the meeting so far?
It is wonderful to see so many people coming together to support people with cancer. And it has been a thrill for me to be part of
this meeting, from planning to serving as a Keynote Speaker. MASCC looks forward to more productive collaborations with
ASCO in the future.
Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org
MASCC • Supportive Care makes excellent cancer care possible
MASCC/ISOO 2015 Preliminary Program: It’s All About the Science
The MASCC/ISOO 2015 Scientific Committee has announced the preliminary program for the 2015 Annual Meeting in
Copenhagen, Denmark, June 25-27. Meeting Chair Jørn Herrstedt and the Scientific Committee will continue to fine-tune the
content, but invite you to explore the preliminary program now at the mascc.org website. Find the preliminary program here:
http://www.mascc.org/annual-meeting.
MASCC-ISOO annual meetings have a reputation for providing the most current data and innovative techniques to minimize
treatment-induced side effects and the psychological, social, and spiritual sequelae associated with cancer diagnosis and
treatment. Next year’s scientific program includes specialized workshops, pro-and-con live debates, “Meet and Challenge the
Expert” sessions, and much more. Submit an abstract before 31 December to benefit from the early acceptance process. Acceptance notification letters will be sent
no later than 25 January 2015. This will be beneficial to those who need extra time to apply for visas or to apply for help with
air travel. The regular abstract deadline is 15 February 2015. This is an exciting opportunity to hear widely acclaimed experts in supportive care education and research, to contribute your
own insights on an international level, and to help realize MASCC/ISOO’s prime objective: Supportive Care Makes Excellent
Cancer Care Possible. Join us in Copenhagen!
MASCC at Conferences!
Over the second half of 2014, MASCC had a presence at several
international conferences. Represented by Executive Director Åge
Schultz (pictured), the MASCC booth always highlights Copenhagen
2015, displays the journal Supportive Care in Cancer, has MASCC Oral
Agent Teaching Tool (MOATT) brochures on display, presents the
European Society for Medical Oncology/MASCC Guidelines for
Antiemetics, and presents a number of different flyers and reference
books written and edited by MASCC experts. These conferences
included:
• The European Society for Medical Oncology in Madrid, Spain, during
27-29 September (where there were around 20,000 participants. The
MASCC representatives were available at the MASCC booth over all 3
days!);
• The European Oncology Nursing Society in Istanbul, Turkey, during
18-19 September;
• The Society of Danish Oncology Nurses, on 7-9 November, in
Denmark, where MASCC and Scientific Chair for 2015 Annual
Meeting, Professor Jørn Herrstedt, promoted the annual meeting in
Copenhagen 2015;
• MASCC was the co-sponsor for the Palliative Care in Oncology
Symposium, in Boston 24-25 October, where MASCC past-President
Dorothy Keefe is on the organizing committee, and
• The Union for International Cancer Control World Cancer Congress
in Melbourne, Australia, on 3-6 December, where Copenhagen 2015
and also Adelaide 2016 were highlighted.
MASCC Executive Director Åge Schultz
MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting - Copenhagen 2015 - Help Spread the Word!
Meeting tools are now available on the mascc.org website. Get your powerpoint slides, email banners and
advertisements here: http://www.mascc.org/meeting-toolkit
Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org
MASCC • Supportive Care makes excellent cancer care possible
Meet a New MASCC Member, Emily Van Laar
I am the Director of Clinical Strategy, focusing on Hematology and Supportive Care in
Oncology at Medscape, an online resource for clinicians. I am involved in supportive
care in cancer because my role as a strategist focuses on the evaluation of the treatment
and supportive care landscape to identify healthcare provider education gaps. Member
surveys, assessment of performance on continuing medical education activities,
discussion with thought leaders, and surveillance of emerging approaches allows us to
identify the supportive care education needs of the healthcare team. Through online
education, we aspire to improve clinician knowledge and confidence in managing cancer
and therapy side effects, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.
Medscape and MASCC have embarked on several successful collaborations to address
education needs in supportive care. The dedication and vision of MASCC/ISOO in
addressing the needs of cancer patients, coupled with their multidisciplinary approach, made me interested in becoming a
member.
My co-authors and I were delighted to have our manuscript “ Professional educational needs for chemotherapy-induced nausea
and vomiting (CINV): multinational survey results from 2,388 health care providers” recently accepted and now available in the
Supportive Care in Cancer journal (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00520-014-2325-x). This study identified
healthcare provider barriers and educational needs relevant to the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
Meet a New MASCC Member, Deborah Boyle
I am an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist/Palliative Care Nurse Lead, University of
California Irvine Health/Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Orange,
California, USA. Supportive care has been central to my career; I have more than three
decades of experience in oncology nursing. My areas of interest include family aspects of
care, symptom management (particular interest in delirium and management of older
patients with cancer) and most recently the impact of care on health professionals —
namely compassion fatigue. I have re-joined MASCC after a short lapse in membership
because I was impressed by the conference topics for the annual meeting this year, and
the topics addressed in the journal have always appealed to me. I was just honored in
April of this year by the Oncology Nursing Society/Oncology Nursing Certification
Corporation by being recognized as Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse of the Year for the US. I am a blogger on the
oncology nursing website TheONC and recently co-authored a text that was given a writing award by the American Journal of
Nursing entitled "Self Healing Through Reflection: A Workbook for Nurses."
Meet a New MASCC Member, Qing Zhang
I am a Resident at the Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of Chinese
Academy of Medical Sciences at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Previously I was the
simultaneous interpreter at Beijing conference when Aprepitant (a drug for the prevention of
nausea and vomiting) was approved in China and made available to the Chinese public. Now
I care for inpatients receiving chemotherapy, and I find that supportive care is vital for overall
treatment, especially in end-stage cancer patients. I have observed many patients in the past
cease chemotherapy treatment due to severe nausea and vomiting, which is a great pity
indeed. I was fortunate to have engaged in the translation and edition of the Chinese version
of anti-vomiting guidelines. Thanks to Dr. Richard Gralla's generous introduction, I was
granted membership of MASCC. I also hope to contribute more to the Association.
Publications from MASCC members
1: Silbermann M, Fink RM, Min SJ, Mancuso MP, Brant J, Hajjar R, Al-Alfi N, Baider L, Turker I, ElShamy K, Ghrayeb I, AlJadiry M, Khader K, Kav S, Charalambous H, Uslu R, Kebudi R, Barsela G, Kuruku N, Mutafoglu K, Ozalp-Senel G,
Oberman A, Kislev L, Khleif M, Keoppi N, Nestoros S, Abdalla RF, Rassouli M, Morag A, Sabar R, Nimri O, Al-Qadire M,
Al-Khalaileh M, Tayyem M, Doumit M, Punjwani R, Rasheed O, Fallatah F, Can G, Ahmed J, Strode D. Evaluating Palliative
Care Needs in Middle Eastern Countries. J Palliat Med. 2014 Oct 10.
2: Johnson MJ, Hui D, Currow DC. Opioids, Exertion, and Dyspnea: A Review of the Evidence. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2014
Oct 7.
Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org
MASCC • Supportive Care makes excellent cancer care possible
Publications from MASCC members
3: Lalla RV. Alleviating mucositis: are we on track for a novel
therapeutic? Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014 Oct 1:1-2.
4: Johnson MJ, Bland JM, Oxberry SG, Abernethy AP, Currow
DC. Measuring improvement in dyspnoea: should absolute or
relative values be used? Eur Respir J. 2014 Sep 26. pii:
erj01080-2014.
5: Pachman DR, Weisbrod BL, Seisler DK, Barton DL, FeeSchroeder KC, Smith TJ, Lachance DH, Liu H, Shelerud RA,
Cheville AL, Loprinzi CL. Pilot evaluation of Scrambler therapy
for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Support Care Cancer. 2014 Sep 24.
6: Brennan ME, Butow P, Spillane AJ, Boyle F. Patient-reported
quality of life, unmet needs and care coordination outcomes:
Moving toward targeted breast cancer survivorship care planning.
Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2014 Sep 22.
7: Dranitsaris G, Lacouture ME. Development of prediction tools
for diarrhea and rash in breast cancer patients receiving lapatinib
in combination with capecitabine. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2014
Oct;147(3):631-8.
8: Brown AJ, Shen MJ, Ramondetta LM, Bodurka DC, Giuntoli
RL 2nd, Diaz-Montes T. Does Death Anxiety Affect End-of-Life
Care Discussions? Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2014 Oct;24(8):1521-6.
9: Wysham NG, Abernethy AP, Cox CE. Setting the vision: applied
patient-reported outcomes and smart, connected digital healthcare
systems to improve patient-centered outcomes prediction in critical
illness. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2014 Oct;20(5):566-72.
10: Taylor DH Jr, Danis M, Zafar SY, Howie LJ, Samsa GP, Wolf
SP, Abernethy AP. There is a mismatch between the medicare
benefit package and the preferences of patients with cancer and
their caregivers. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Oct 1;32(28):3163-8.
11: Spratt DE, Gordon Spratt EA, Wu S, DeRosa A, Lee NY,
Lacouture ME, Barker CA. Efficacy of skin-directed therapy for
cutaneous metastases from advanced cancer: a meta-analysis. J Clin
Oncol. 2014 Oct 1;32(28):3144-55.
12: Keefe DM, Elting LS, Nguyen HT, Grunberg SM, Aprile G,
Bonaventura A, Selva-Nayagam S, Barsevick A, Koczwara B, Sonis
ST. Risk and outcomes of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (CID)
among patients with colorectal cancer receiving multi-cycle
chemotherapy. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2014 Oct;74(4):
675-80.
13: Ruiz JN, Belum VR, Creel P, Cohn A, Ewer M, Lacouture ME.
Current practices in the management of adverse events associated
with targeted therapies for advanced renal cell carcinoma: a
national survey of oncologists. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2014 Oct;
12(5):341-7.
14: Amin MB, Lin DW, Gore JL, Srigley JR, Samaratunga H,
Egevad L, Rubin M, Nacey J, Carter HB, Klotz L, Sandler H,
Zietman AL, Holden S, Montironi R, Humphrey PA, Evans AJ,
Epstein JI, Delahunt B, McKenney JK, Berney D, Wheeler TM,
Chinnaiyan AM, True L, Knudsen B, Hammond ME. The critical
role of the pathologist in determining eligibility for active
surveillance as a management option in patients with prostate
cancer: consensus statement with recommendations supported by
the College of American Pathologists, International Society of
Urological Pathology, Association of Directors of Anatomic and
Surgical Pathology, the New Zealand Society of Pathologists, and
the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2014 Oct;
138(10):1387-405.
Have any news items to share?
Please send contributions for the MASCC News to [email protected] or the co-editors:
Anna Ugalde [email protected]
Anna Boltong [email protected]
For more information please contact: Åge Schultz, MASCC Executive Director: [email protected]
Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • www.mascc.org