Patients with rare cancers like intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma seldom have many additional treatment options if their tumors become resistant to first-line therapy: From August 1, 2021–July 31, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved only five new agents or indications for rare tumors.

To help historically underrepresented communities learn more about their health, the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program began returning personalized health-related DNA results to more than 155,000 participants, NIH reported in December 2022. The reports include information on whether participants have an increased risk for certain health conditions and how they might process certain medications.

Reading is ubiquitous in life: Whether it’s to learn or understand something at work, to identify the right item at the grocery store, or to simply unwind at home, we regularly find ourselves reading many times throughout the day. But intentionally escaping to the pages of a great book can help improve our personal and professional well-being.

The National Institute of Nursing Research established its updated research framework to support its 2022–2026 strategic plan and mission of leading “nursing research to solve pressing health challenges and inform practice and policy-optimizing health and advancing health equity.” The framework focuses on and encourages research that “informs practice and policy and improves health and quality of life for all people, their families and communities, and the society in which they live.”

Maintaining a patient’s personal grooming during an inpatient stay is an important aspect of holistic nursing care, but nurses and hospitals alike may fall short when it comes to textured hair care, nurses reported in the American Journal of Nursing.

Marking her first year at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Katrina Goddard, PhD, director of the NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, outlined a foundation of future research for DCCPS, priority research areas, and the impact of research on diverse populations in a December 2022 interview.

Direct-to-consumer genomic testing is a patient-initiated type of testing that is marketed to the general public in advertisements on all media. The tests can be purchased online or in stores without requiring a healthcare professional order or third-party payer authorization. Customers send a saliva sample to the company and view their test results on a secure website, but the results are not included in their electronic health record unless they specifically request it.

Almost 11.5 million people signed up for healthcare insurance on HealthCare.gov from November 1–December 15, 2022, President Joe Biden announced in December 2022. Enrollment increased 18% over the same period in 2021. 

In the final days of 2022, as the world turned the calendar to celebrate a new year, the cancer advocacy community also celebrated: One of ONS’s longtime priority bills, the Lymphedema Treatment Act, achieved a landmark legislative win, passing the U.S. Senate as part of the fiscal year 2023 omnibus funding package. President Biden signed it into law on December 29, 2022, securing access to treatment supplies for patients with cancer-related lymphedema.

Patients with suspected hematologic cancers complete the bone marrow biopsy processes and begin treatment more than one month sooner when the procedures are shifted from interventional radiology to a dedicated, nurse-led bone marrow biopsy clinic, researchers reported in a poster presentation at the Association of VA Hematology/Oncology meeting.