KLASTERSKY award
2022 winner

François Cherifi, MD

Centre de traitement contre le cancer François Baclesse – Caen, France

Jean Klastersky Prize Winner 2022 

Impact of early supportive care assessment on treatment decision in head and neck cancer before concomitant chemoradiotherapy

François Cherifi completed his training in medical oncology in October 2022 at the University of Caen Normandy, France. He is currently on international fellowship at the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels, Belgium. He also validated a Master 2 in science at the University of Caen Normandy in 2020 and validated the ESMO examination in 2021. He is interested in clinical research, in particular on supportive care, which is essential to the patients.

He tells us
about his work: Our observational and prospective study, demonstrate that a
complete assessment in a dedicated outpatient supportive care clinic (OSCC)
bringing together multiple actors (oncologist, dietician, social worker, etc.)
before concomitant chemoradiotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer can
detect frailty in 93% of patients. Including 50% with three or more altered
domains..Cognitive function was the most frequently impaired domain with 66.7%
of patients. The OSCC  led to a change in treatment for 13.7% of patients,
mainly de-escalations. De-escalation was also associated with a significantly
poorer PFS (median PFS 23.2 months versus 8.8 months HR] 2.18 95% CI
[1.02-4.63] p=0.037). We strongly encourage the creation of OSCC for patients
treated with chemoradiation for HNC. This practice, through an exhaustive
assessment, favours therapeutic adaptation, personalized follow-up and
optimization of supportive care.