The SIOP Supportive Care Working Group

Minutes of 1st Meeting held Mumbai, Fri 2nd Nov 2007, 13.30-15.30

Attendees
Prof T Lehrnbecher (Co Chair)
Dr M van de Wetering (Co Chair)
+ list of others

1. Welcome and introduction from Dr Marianne van de Wetering.  Dr van de Wetering described the group as an enthusiastic working group of those from SIOP interested in supportive care issues, rather than a formal SIOP committee.  A major aim is to identify those interested and active in supportive care, to support one another and generate discussion in this area.  Specific goals of the group could be:
   a) Members being active in other study groups to incorporate pediatric supportive care guidelines and recommendations
   b) Members interested in conducting Cochrane reviews in pediatric supportive care
   c) Enter multinational trials to statistically improve numbers
   d) Pharmacokinetic trials to improve the availability of certain supportive care drugs for children
   e) Increase the pediatric supportive care contribution to SIOP conference
   f) Collaboration with MASCC
2. Prof Lehrnbecher suggested that infections might be a significant focus for the SIOP working group, which can collaborate with other working parties (e.g., working party infectious disease of the EBMT, early and late toxicities of the I-BFM, national societies). He presented the Umbrella network, which is an inofficial network of pediatric oncologists interested in infectious complications in immunocompromised patients. Current trials of this grpup include the cooperative international surveillance on nosocomial infections in pediatric cancer patients and b)  SPOG 2003 and an observational & interventional part on febrile neutropenia. However, Umbrella would be interested to be integrated in a SIOP supportive party, since an official platform facilitates further collaboration. In turn, SIOP can take advantage from this active working party.
3. Brief presentations from the following
   Dr P Rogers, Canada: Nutrition
   Dr D Orbach, France: Investigation and management of hypercalcaemia
   Dr J Chisholm, UK: A low risk strategy for febrile neutropenia
   Dr L Ball/Dr van Wetering, Netherlands: Granulocyte transfusions
   Dr F Gibson, UK: Supportive care organisation in the UK
4. Discussion
   There was discussion about the role of the SIOP working group. It was agreed that the aims of the group need to be more clearly defined.  There was support for the idea, in the first instance, of trying to form a network of interested individuals.  Names and email addresses along with main supportive care interests of the attendees were collected during the meeting and it was agreed to send an email to all attendees in December 07 asking for further information about what supportive care organisations (if any) they are linked to and information on ongoing research projects. The chairs will ask whether this information can be published on the SIOP website. 
   
   There will be a further meeting in Berlin during SIOP 2008.  The intention is that this should become an active group where individuals with similar interests can learn about each others work and start to collaborate.

Julia Chisholm
Nov 07

  
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