President Trump is a preparing a new executive order that would outline recommendations for the nation’s fight against opioid addiction. According to report released in STAT, the executive order would form a commission of four top Trump aides, including Attorney General Jeffery Sessions, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, and Defense Secretary James Mattis.
On March 31, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regular approval to palbociclib for the treatment of hormone receptor (HR)‑positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)‑negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as initial endocrine based therapy in postmenopausal women.
When I met Shirley, she was poised, mature, and clearly very smart, but she was also humble. She had just graduated nursing school and had no experience. Our usual applicants had several years of nursing or a few years of oncology nursing experience. As a leadership team, we chose to trial a new graduate nurse on our team. This decision came following a great deal of discussion and preparation.
On March 30, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regular approval to osimertinib for the treatment of patients with metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as detected by an FDA-approved test, whose disease has progressed on or after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy.
Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, NEABC, FAAN, has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) in Philadelphia. Cunningham is the first nurse, oncology-specific or otherwise, to hold the position since the institution’s inception in 1874. She begins her tenure as CEO for HUP in April 2017.
Because April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, it’s important to understand the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and oropharyngeal cancers. This form of oral cancer occurs in the middle part of the throat, soft palate, base of the tongue, and tonsils. HPV contributes to more than 70% of all oropharyngeal cancers, with more than half of these being related to HPV type 16. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that approximately 9,000 new cases of oropharyngeal cancers are diagnosed annually and are typically four times more common in men than women.
The end of 2016 proved to be a busy and exciting time for cancer breakthroughs, seeing eight new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for immunotherapy and biotherapy. Following is a summary of cancer-related FDA approvals in the last quarter of 2016, indications for treatment, and associated clinical implications.
On March 27, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved niraparib, a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy.
After the GOP spent weeks lobbying for support, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) informed President Trump on March 24 that the replacement healthcare proposal, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), did not have enough support in the House of Representatives. The bill was pulled from voting, which ensured that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would be in place for the foreseeable future.