FDA Approves Venetoclax for CLL and SLL
On May 15, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved venetoclax (Venclexta®) for adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).
Gut Microbiome Diversity May Improve Response to Melanoma Immunotherapy
A high-fiber diet leading to higher gut microbiome diversity may improve response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in patients with melanoma, according to the results of a new study presented at the 2019 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA.
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Changing Leadership Won’t Affect FDA’s Role in Public Health, Awareness, and Prevention
Nestled in the sleepy suburbs of Washington, DC, lies an influential agency that continues to have a growing impact on every American’s life. In fact, public opinion surveys indicate that the agency enjoys a broad range of support in the federal government and across the country in its work protecting people. Seen almost daily on the evening news, FDA encompasses a vast network of public health priorities important to many people’s daily lives.
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FDA Approves Avelumab Plus Axitinib for Renal Cell Carcinoma
On May 14, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved avelumab (Bavencio®) in combination with axitinib for first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.
Acupuncture for Cancer-Related Fatigue
Fatigue is one of the most prevalent and challenging side effects that people with cancer experience. Commonly known as cancer-related fatigue (CRF), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network defines it as “a distressing, persistent, subjective sense of physical, emotional, and/or cognitive tiredness or exhaustion related to cancer or cancer treatment that is not proportional to recent activity and interferes with usual functioning.” CRF affects 50%–90% of patients and can diminish quality of life, lead to functional impairment, and is associated with significant morbidity. Although it improves in many patients the year following treatment, CRF may persist over a much longer period in some.
The Case of the Terrible Toxicities
After completing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triple-negative invasive breast cancer, Madeline, age 32, had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. Final pathology showed residual disease in the breast and one lymph node, and her oncologist recommended adjuvant therapy with capecitabine (1,500 mg twice a day for 14 days, off for 7 days). Five weeks postoperatively, she started cycle 1. Eight days later, her husband called the cancer clinic reporting that over the past two days, his wife developed profound weakness, unremitting diarrhea despite using diphenoxylate and atropine as directed, and painful, red, swollen hands and feet. Her symptoms represented a drastic change from her usual routine and energy level.
Everyone Means Me, Everyone Includes You: Improving the Practice of Cancer Screening
As we reflect on the progress we’ve made to prevent and control cancer and focus on strategies that will help build on those efforts, one thing is certain: We’ve learned a lot about cancer, but we still have much to learn. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits and knowing your family’s history, especially as you get older, can help you lower a patient’s—or nurse’s—chance of getting cancer.
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Patient Social Determinants; Trauma in Nursing; House Overturns Obamacare Move
Through a combination of expert clinical knowledge, relationship-building skills, and routine selection as the most trusted profession in the United States, nurses are one of the most impactful healthcare professionals when it comes to addressing patient issues. Challenges—like financial toxicity and limited access to care—are central to nursing advocacy efforts, and oncology nurses know firsthand the negative impacts they have on patients with cancer.
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Advocate in Your Own Backyard
Advocacy is a pillar for both ONS and me, personally. As a professor, organizer, chapter leader, and now ONS president, engagement in oncology nursing issues is an essential part of what I do and who I am. In March 2019, I accompanied ONS staff along with my ONS Pittsburgh Chapter colleague, Grace Campbell, PhD, MSW, RN, CRRN, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, to meet with Congressional Representative Connor Lamb’s (D-PA) district office director.
Make Nicotine Nonaddictive to Reduce Tobacco-Related Disease and Death
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, released a statement on March 28, 2019, about FDA’s new efforts to reduce tobacco-related disease and death through greater, far-reaching regulation on the tobacco industry. Coming on the heels of his announced departure from his role as of June 2019, the work would ensure his legacy as a staunch proponent of smoking cessation.