On December 1, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca™) for adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) who have received at least two prior lines of therapy, including a BTK inhibitor and a BCL-2 inhibitor.

Cancer death rates among children and teens dropped in the past two decades, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but that decline has stalled over the past 10 years among Black and Hispanic children. In the first decade, all races saw a similar decline in the cancer death rate. But between 2011 and 2021, the death rate dropped only slightly for Hispanic youth and increased for Black youth. In 2021, the death rate for White youth was 19%–20% lower than for Black and Hispanic youth, the CDC found.

Jessica MacIntyre, DNP, MBA, APRN, NP-C, AOCNP^®, executive director of clinical operations at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, will serve as the next ONS president. During its November 2023 meeting, the ONS Board of Directors appointed MacIntyre to succeed Danya Garner, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, OCN^®, CCRN, who concludes his three-year board tenure in April 2024 at the ONS 49th Annual ONS Congress^® in Washington, DC.

On November 27, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that Novartis is conducting a voluntary nationwide recall at the consumer level of two lots of its Sandimmune^® Oral Solution (cyclosporine oral solution, USP), 100 mg/ml, in the United States because of crystal formation observed in some bottles that could result in incorrect dosing. The issue was identified during an investigation of crystallization in a different lot of cyclosporine oral solution, USP, 100 mg/m. No other Sandimmune formulations are affected.

On November 28, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication to patients and healthcare professionals regarding BCMA- or CD19-directed autologous CAR T-cell immunotherapies. The agency said it received reports of T-cell malignancies, including CAR-positive lymphoma, in patients who received treatment with those products. The reports came from clinical trials and postmarketing adverse event data sources.

Adding hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to interval cytoreductive surgery improves 10-year overall survival in patients with stage III epithelial ovarian cancer by nearly 40%, researchers reported in study findings published in Lancet Oncology. 

On November 27, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nirogacestat (Ogsiveo™) for use in adult patients with progressing desmoid tumors who require systemic treatment. Nirogacestat is the first approved treatment for desmoid tumors.

After an open-label, multicenter, single-arm trial demonstrated a 56% objective response rate, with 43% achieving complete responses, and an estimated 18.4-month median duration of response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted glofitamab-gxbm (Columvi™) accelerated approval in June 2023. 

Switching from heparin to normal saline (NS) as the preferred flushing solution for central venous catheter (CVC) lines in adult ambulatory patients with cancer saved one institution nearly $30,000 without affecting quality of care, researchers reported in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. The change also increased patient safety by reducing risk of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia or allergic reactions, the authors said. 

Professional role models and mentors are vital to nurses’ personal and career development. Their influence goes beyond the classroom or workplace, extending into the very fabric of a nurse’s career and life. Celebrated in November, National Inspirational Role Models Month recognizes individuals who inspire and guide others through their actions, passion, and dedication to their work and community.