In stark contrast to a nationwide decline, cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are increasing in low-income U.S. counties, researchers reported in the International Journal of Cancer.
On April 22, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln (Anktiva®) with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for adult patients with BCG-unresponsive non–muscle invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors.
The first innovation in stem cell mobilization for multiple myeloma in a decade, motixafortide (Aphexda™) received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval on September 11, 2023. The drug’s clinical trial demonstrated that one dose of motixafortide plus filgrastim enabled a majority of patients to achieve the collection goal of at least six million hematopoietic stem cells.
As an oncology nursing trailblazer, ONS Past President Judi L. Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN, dedicated her career to guiding cancer education, patient-centered care, and oncology nursing excellence. On Saturday, April 20, 2024, Johnson passed away, leaving a far-reaching legacy on the profession and patients around the world.
A record-breaking 323 drugs are currently in shortage in the United States, according to April 2024 ASHP data. In tandem timing, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced its plan to prevent and mitigate drug shortages and proposed new solutions for policymakers to consider in an April 2024 white paper.
On April 18, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved alectinib (Alecensa®) for adjuvant treatment following tumor resection in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)–positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as detected by an FDA-approved test.
About 7% of the U.S. population identifies as LGBTQ+, but understanding cancer in this population is difficult because surveillance data are limited to national surveys on risk factors and screening, the American Cancer Society (ACS) observed in a special section of its Cancer Facts and Figures 2024 report on cancer in the LGBTQ+ community.
Cancer incidence is increasing throughout the United States, with an unprecedented 2 million new cancer cases predicted in 2024, the American Cancer Society (ACS) reported in Cancer Facts and Figures 2024.
Innovation—a proactive effort to create or build on ideas—is something that oncology nurses and advanced practice providers (APPs) do every day. This month’s 49th Annual ONS Congress® reminds us to “ignite the extraordinary” and recognize how we can use our strengths to blaze new trails for oncology and health care. Step by step, we all have opportunities to innovate in oncology nursing through evidence-based practice, quality improvement, the development of new products and technology, and research.
Patient navigation has the potential to improve patient satisfaction, reduce health disparities, and ultimately optimize cancer outcomes. However, navigation services are often funded externally through grants or considered unreimbursed administrative costs because of lack of reimbursement. In January 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established its first coding and payment for principal illness navigation (PIN) services. CMS said that funding the services would improve health equity in patients with serious, high-risk conditions such as cancer.