Kathleen McDermott, RN, BSN, OCN®, BMTCN®, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and coauthors presented the background for axicabtagene ciloleucel’s approval and nursing best practices for managing patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy during a poster session at the ONS 43rd Annual Congress in Washington, DC.

Keynote speaker Lee Tomlinson, founder of the C.A.R.E. Effect, discussed his journey from cancer survivor to patient advocate, calling for compassionate care and thanking nurses for being the reason he is alive today, during the opening session at the 43^rd Annual Congress in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 17, 2018.

Professional incivility, rudeness, and bullying are not new to the world of nursing. Nurses can see escalated teasing or bullying as “a rite of passage” or “earning our stripes.” However, changes in the workplace have shown that no matter what it’s called, bullying and professional incivility has no place in the working environment. Anne Ireland, MSN, RN, AOCN®, CENP, clinical director of the Solid Tumor Program at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA, and Tracy Gosselin, PhD, RN, AOCN®, NEA-BC, chief nursing and patient care services officer at Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC, gave a lecture at the 43rd Annual Congress in Washington, DC, on their work with professional incivility and bullying and ways to teach nurses how to intervene and become powerful bystanders.

It’s hard to imagine life without social media, even though the active use of it is less than 15 years old. People use social media to stay connected to family and friends, for information on communities, and more. And although social media is most often used as a personal outlet, it has become much more prevalent in the professional realm as well.

Many programs at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are focused on cancer research, and support for cancer- and treatment-related symptoms and toxicities crosses a number of National Institutes of Health (NIH) organizations. Martha Matocha, PhD, program director and team lead of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and Ann O’Mara, PhD, RN, FAAN, program officer at NCI, provided tips and opportunities for nurses and how they can conduct or participate in cancer research programs during a session at the 43rd Annual Congress in Washington, DC.

The healthcare landscape is changing more rapidly than ever, and daily discoveries in genomics are leading to truly individualized care. During a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO, David Solit, MD, Geoffrey Beene Chair and director of the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), reviewed cutting-edge genomics science, its role in precision medicine, and innovative genomics programs at his institution. Solit leads a research program that seeks to identify new drug targets using genomic profiling.

“This has been a historic year in oncology pharmacology,” Rowena Schwartz, PharmD, BCOP, associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, told the audience during a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO. “There were new drugs, yes, but we’re really learning how to use the drugs that we have.”

Quality of life (QOL) is a complicated construct and has been defined many ways. Barbara Anne Biedrzycki, PhD, CRNP, AOCNP^®, of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, presented the following view: “Quality of life is achieved when our hopes are matched and fulfilled by our experiences.” She encouraged participants to have a holistic perspective of QOL but to keep in mind that QOL is very individualized—its definition and meaning are different to each individual, and each person finds some factors to be more important than others.

Carole Elledge, DNP, RN, AOCN^®, clinical program specialist at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, TX, described the concept of nursing competencies with a kitchen metaphor: “It’s kind of like baking a cake. If you’re going to bake a cake, you need all the ingredients.” For nurses, she said, the ingredients of competency include not only hands-on clinical skills, but also an ability to see past the disease, compassion, critical thinking, self-motivation, patience and insight, leadership, a team approach, and more. “There’s much more to competency than just skills.”

During a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO—on what happened to be National Nurses Day—the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asked nurses to consider joining an initiative intended to gather, collate, and disseminate massive amounts of data to enhance evidence-based cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Nurses and patients know that nursing care makes a difference. During a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO, David Rice, PhD, RN, NP, director of professional practice and education at the City of Hope National Medical Center, encouraged nurses to take strides to prove it by using benchmarks and data.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is an adverse event (AE) associated with cancer therapies that healthcare providers often underestimate. CINV can interfere with treatment compliance and adherence, and patients who experienced CINV in the first cycle of chemotherapy are almost four times more likely to experience it during subsequent treatment cycles.

When an oncology nurse becomes a patient with cancer, the experience can shed light on the cancer journey and help other nurses comprehend what their patients go through. During a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO, as part of the annual Mara Mogensen Flaherty Memorial Lectureship, Patricia Jakel, RN, MN, AOCN^®, an advanced practice nurse at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and an associate professor in the UCLA School of Nursing, shared her journey, describing the terror that comes with diagnosis, the frequent unsupportive social interactions, and the symptom burden.

More than 130,000 new cases of colorectal cancers (CRCs) are diagnosed in the United States each year, representing 8% of all new annual cancer cases. The rate of patients with CRC surviving more than five years is 65.1%; however, patients with metastatic disease (mCRC) have a poorer prognosis, with only 13.5% surviving more than years. As many as 40% of patients with mCRC remain candidates for third-line therapy, with some patients requiring up to five lines of therapy because of drug resistance.

Each year, the ONS Board of Directors sponsors a session at the ONS Annual Congress on a particularly important, high-impact topic. During a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO, the leadership chose the up-and-coming nursing role of care coordination and transition management.

Poor cognitive function can cause distress, impact quality of life, and contribute to treatment non-adherence, Catherine Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN, from the University of Pittsburgh, explained during the Distinguished Nurse Researcher session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO. She is the 2017 recipient of the Distinguished Nurse Research Award, which recognizes the contributions of a member who has conducted or promoted research that has enhanced the science and practice of oncology nursing.

Advanced practice nurses (APNs) play a role in leadership, policy development, education, and management. As APNs move through their career from novice to expert, ONS can play a large role in professional development.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) can lead to serious adverse events (AEs) for older adults that could result in hospitalizations. Older adults may be overwhelmed with the amount of information involved with diagnosis and treatment, may not believe their actions will have an impact on symptoms, and tend to adopt a “wait and see” approach to managing AEs. Educational initiatives that tailor symptom management to older adults are necessary to engage and prepare these patients to self-mange CINV at home.

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a persistent, subjective sense of tiredness related to cancer and treatment that interferes with usual functioning. Other features of CRF include tiredness that is not relieved by rest or sleep, is often associated with physical and psychological symptoms, can be acute or chronic, and may not correspond to a patient’s level of exacerbation.

Medical marijuana laws still vary across the United States, and barriers persist for patients and providers, including fear of addiction and side effects as well as safety, financial, and legal concerns. Carey Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, of the University of Maine at Augusta, Jacquelyn Bainbridge, PharmD, FCCP, from the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Lisa Kennedy Sheldon, PhD, APRN-BC, AOCNP^®, FAAN, chief clinical officer at the Oncology Nursing Society, discussed the latest in medical marijuana laws and usage during a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO.

Ashley Bryant, PhD, RN, OCN^®, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, was the recipient of the 2017 Victoria Mock New Investigator Award and gave a lecture at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO, on her work on patient-reported symptoms and quality of life.

Using the human immune system to target cancer has made tremendous strides in recent years. Jaruska Naidoo, MBBCh, from the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Joanne Riemer, RN, BSN, from Johns Hopkins University, discussed the progress made in immunotherapy and how nurses play a role in clinical trials during a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO.

Tara Tatum, MBA, RN, and Stella Dike, MSN, RN, OCN^®, both from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, presented the findings during a poster session at the ONS 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO. The poster was titled “Radiation Safety Education: An Innovative, Multidisciplinary Approach to Enhancing the Knowledge and Skills of Oncology Nurses in an Inpatient Radiation Setting.”

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a side effect reported by 40%–80% of patients receiving cancer treatment. However, CINV can be prevented in 70%–80% of those cases with appropriate antiemetic prophylaxis. Few studies have evaluated approaches to improve provider adherence to antiemetic guidelines, and those who do adhere often have limited demonstrated success.

RuthAnn Gordon, MSN,FNP-BC, OCN^®, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and co-authors presented the findings during a poster session at the ONS 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO. The poster was titled “Utilizing Nurse to Nurse Handoff Communication to Manage Immune Related Adverse Events in an Outpatient Immunotherapy Clinic.”

Denise Portz, MSN, RN, AOCNS^®, ACNS-BC, a clinical nurse specialist at the ‎Froedtert Hospital in Wisconsin, presented the findings during a poster session at the ONS 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO. The poster was titled “Providing Oncology Infusion Nurses Evidence-Based Guidelines and Interventions to Manage Infusion Reactions and Anaphylaxis.”

Judy Ranous, BSN, RN, OCN®, from the Froedtert Hospital in Wisconsin, and coauthors presented their poster entitled “Design and Implementation of an Oncology and Pharmacy Nursing Committee to Optimize Interdisciplinary Communication and Patient Safety” at the 42nd Annual ONS Congress in Denver, CO.  

Jane Rosenthal, MD, FAPM, from New York University Langone Medical Center, discussed treatment and management options patients suffering from these disorders during a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO.

Guidelines are established as tools to enhance patient care; however, translating guidelines can be difficult. Diana Scott, RN, MHA, CPHQ, senior director of accreditation services at Vizient, and Carma Herring, RN, MS, OCN®, from the John Stoddard Cancer Center, discussed mandates from the Joint Commission and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), as well as tips for using guidelines and being compliant during a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO.

The opening session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO, was a lively one, featuring a talk from ONS President Susan Schneider, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN, recognition of the 2017 ONS award recipients, and a discussion from ONS Foundation President Deborah K. Walker, DNP, FNP-BC, NP-C, AOCN®, who talked about the Foundation’s goal of raising $130,000 at Congress, with $80,000 in donations already in the books. Schneider also commented that the 2017 Annual Congress has more than 4,000 attendees, which is the most the meeting has seen in a decade.

Stress associated with an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosis and its treatment impacts not only patients, but also their family. Limited research is available on the relationship between psychologic symptoms, stress, and family needs following an AML diagnosis.

Currently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandates 33 oncology-specific benchmark measures related to end-of-life care and hospice, unplanned hospital admissions (UHAs), pain, falls, medication, central venous catheter (CVC) line, pressure ulcers, tobacco cessation, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, sepsis, and function. Advanced practice nurses can play a role in achieving benchmarks and developing innovative strategies to accomplish these goals.

Pain management is often necessary for patients with cancer and other high-risk conditions. Despite guidelines and treatment algorithms, caring for this patient population can be challenging. Oscar DeLeon, MD, of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Kathleen Broglio, DNP, ANP-BC, ACHPN, CPE, FPCN, from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and Jennifer Grimmer, DNP, FNP-BC, of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, discussed strategies and best practice for pain management during a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO.