Well-being is as much part of an oncology nurse’s personal protective equipment as gloves and gowns are, Lisa Blackburn, MS, APRN-CNS, PMGT-BC, AOCNS^®, from The James at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, said in a session during the ONS Bridge^TM virtual conference on September 16, 2021. Just as a construction worker needs a hard hat, safety vest, and harness, oncology nurses need equipment to protect themselves from the hazards of their work, and “it’s more than manis, pedis, and massages,” Blackburn said.

Patients with cancer may experience low levels of magnesium and potassium for a variety of reasons throughout the course of their treatment, and both conditions can be serious or even fatal. Oncology nurses are critical in educating patients and understanding the benefits and potential concerns associated with electrolyte replacement, Puja Patel, PharmD, BCOP, from Northwestern Medicine Delnor Cancer Center in Geneva, IL, said during a session during the ONS Bridge^TM virtual conference on September 16, 2021.

COVID-19 forced healthcare providers to pivot to digital health, but an estimated 70% of patients still deferred or canceled their care, including routine cancer screening. Technology is an essential tool in cancer care, according to Abigail Baldwin-Medsker, MSN, RN, OCN^®, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who presented a session at the ONS Bridge^TM virtual conference on September 16, 2021.

On August 9, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a refuse-to-file letter (RTF) to JD Nova Group, notifying the company that their premarket tobacco product applications associated with approximately 4.5 million of their products do not meet the filing requirements for a new tobacco product seeking a marketing order.

On September 15, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to mobocertinib (Exkivity™) for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion variants, as detected by an FDA-approved test, whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

In 2021, approximately 44,000 people will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer, most commonly younger patients and assigned females at birth.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra celebrated the Children’s Health Insurance Program’s (CHIP’s) 24th anniversary on August 4, 2021, a program that “for more than two decades, has been a lifeline for millions of children and families across America,” with an incredible announcement: in 2020 and 2021, CHIP provided more than 6.8 million enrolled individuals with coverage during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Frequent red and processed meat consumption leaves a specific pattern of DNA damage in colorectal cells that contributes to the formation of tumors, researchers reported in study findings published in Cancer Discovery.

New strategies are emerging to manage the complex side effects and adverse events from multiple myeloma (MM) therapies, Lorraine Mack, APN/MSN CNL, OCN^®, AOCNS^®, and Dodi Georges, MSN, CWON, OCN^®, both from Northwestern Medicine, said during a session held September 14, 2021, at the ONS Bridge^TM virtual conference. They shared best practices for nursing interventions for patients undergoing new treatment options.

To prevent life-threatening complications that could affect treatment adherence and outcomes, oncology nurses must be vigilant in early recognition and treatment of immune-related adverse events (irAEs), Lisa A. Kottschade, MSN, APRN, CNP, from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, said during a session held at the ONS Bridge^TM virtual conference on September 14, 2021. She provided an overview of what to watch for and nursing considerations for common irAEs.