On May 16, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to tarlatamab-dlle (Imdelltra™) for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

On May 15, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi^®) for adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) who have received two or more prior lines of systemic therapy.

Cryotherapy, the therapeutic use of extreme cold, was first studied for cancer care in 1919, when Temple Sedgwick Fay, MD, discovered that higher-temperature body areas were more prone to metastasis and demonstrated that hypothermia reduced swelling and inflammation—two oncogenic drivers. Today, we understand that cellular proliferation slows under the influence of cryotherapy, which can be used internally (e.g., cryoablative surgery) or externally (e.g., ice bags, specially designed devices).

As chemotherapy administration shifts from the inpatient to outpatient setting, inpatient nurses may have fewer opportunities to develop and retain high levels of chemotherapy competency in their practice. During a poster session on April 25, 2024, at the 49th Annual ONS Congress^®, ONS members Heather Askren, DNP, NP-C, RN, OCN^®, and Brittney Henady, BSN, RN, OCN^®, described how their institution standardized care and helped maintain nurse competency throughout the hospital by assigning inpatient RNs to quarterly shifts at the outpatient cancer center.

The leading cause of death for most of the U.S. population is heart disease, but since 2000, the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community has been the only racial and ethnic group whose leading cause of death is cancer. One of the fastest-growing minorities in the United States—currently comprising about 6% of the population—the AANHPI community traces its roots to more than 20 countries across Asia and the Pacific Islands. It is a vastly heterogenous group consisting of people with various languages and cultural backgrounds.

Nurse advocates have an incredible opportunity to represent patients and the profession in shaping the future of patient-centered pragmatic clinical trials. Through July 5, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Oncology Center of Excellence is crowdsourcing clinically relevant trial questions for FDA-approved therapies in its innovative Project 5 in 5 initiative.

ONS founding member Connie Henke Yarbro, MS, RN, FAAN, has long been committed to sharing the stories and impact of cancer nurses. In support of that commitment, she and her late husband, Dr. John Yarbro, made a leading gift for the creation of a first-of-its-kind oncology nursing history center.

In 2023, more than 15 novel drugs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for oncology indications. They all underwent rigorous testing via a series of clinical trials to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness. As a nurse, you’re familiar with clinical research and may have even cared for patients on clinical trials. But do you know that you could build a career in clinical research?

Today’s ever-evolving healthcare industry requires versatile, adaptable healthcare workers. To meet that need, some institutions are upskilling medical assistants (MAs) and transitioning them to more complex roles in ambulatory cancer clinics. In an April 25, 2024, poster presentation at the 49th Annual ONS Congress^®, ONS members Tara Delgrippo, RN, MSN, NE-BC, OCN^®, and Sarah Porzig, MSN, RN, OCN^®, described the process at their institution.

Amid the growing number of patients with cancer, ongoing nursing shortages, high staff turnover rates, and nurses’ general desire for more flexible and balanced work, innovative oncology nurse managers are turning to technology and data as creative—even critical—tools for effective staff scheduling.