Global survey gives a snapshot of the impact of COVID-19 on oncologists 

COVID-19 is impacting the wellbeing and job performance of oncology professionals, including those in Australia, a global survey by the ESMO resilience taskforce shows. 

The survey of 1520 participants, 70 percent of whom were medical oncologists, from 101 countries found 25% reported being at risk of distress, 38% said they were burnt out and 66% felt they were not able to perform their job compared to pre-pandemic times. 

The authors noted a concerning finding that only slightly more than half of the participants reported having access to wellbeing support services.

“This raises some concern about the equitable provision and/or awareness of support to the oncology profession,” they wrote. 

MOGA 2021 call for abstracts, award nominations

The theme of MOGA’s 2021 ASM is the Future of Oncology: Improving Outcomes Through Innovation. It will take place online on 4-5 August. For more information on how to submit an abstract or apply for an award, click here.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy success in melanoma

Pathological response is associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) with neoadjuvant therapy in melanoma and should be a new benchmark for development and approval in melanoma, according to Australian researchers.

In a study that pooled data from six trials involving 192 patients treated with anti-PD-1-based immunotherapy (mostly ipilimumab and nivolumab) or BRAF/MEK targeted therapy, a pathological complete response (pCR) occurred in 47% with targeted therapy and 33% with immunotherapy.

The pCR correlated with improved RFS (pCR 2-year 89% versus no pCR 50%, P < 0.001) and OS (pCR 2-year OS 95% versus no pCR 83%, P = 0.027).

According to researchers form the Melanoma Institute Australia, very few relapses were seen (2-year RFS 96%) in patients with pCR, near pCR or partial pathological response with immunotherapy, whereas, even with pCR from targeted therapy, the 2-year RFS was 79%, and OS was 91%. The findings are published in Nature Medicine.

Peter Mac sets out ambitious top 5 goals

The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has set out its goal for the next five years, including to deliver world beating cancer care. 

In its strategic five-year plan the leading cancer centre in Melbourne aims to increase its national and global presence through education and by leading and collaborating on landmark cancer research.

It says it will achieve this by cultivating a high-trust, high-performance culture at Peter Mac for our workforce, patients and partners. Read More