The MASCC/ISOO Mucositis Guidelines Update: introduction to the first set of articles

Excerpt

The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC), in partnership with the International Society of Oral Oncology (ISOO), is dedicated to improving the lives of oncology patients, with a focus on prevention and management of the adverse effects of cancer and of cancer therapy. Effective supportive care in oncology can significantly improve patient outcomes, including quality of life, and allow patients to tolerate and benefit from cancer therapy. The work of MASCC/ISOO is largely carried out through its study groups, which are groups of MASCC/ISOO members who have self-identified an interest in a particular toxicity of cancer or of its treatment. The Mucositis Study Group (MSG) is one of these study groups, comprising some 200–250 members committed to reducing the burden of mucositis through research, policy, and effective programs. Our membership includes clinicians, researchers, and industry representatives from across the world. An important activity of the MSG over the last decade has been the development and updating of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for oral and gastrointestinal mucositis. The MASCC/ISOO Clinical Practice Guidelines for Mucositis were first published in the journal Cancer in May 2004 [1, 2]. This was followed by an update published in Cancer in March 2007 [3]. This summary update paper was preceded by a group of papers from the individual sections involved in the update, which were published in this journal Supportive Care in Cancer in June 2006 [4‐15]. …