Sweet Dreams Discourage Inflammation
Do you consider sleep to be part of your self-care regimen? Does a spinning wheel of thoughts keep you from restful sleep, or do you consciously sacrifice sleep time? If so, you are not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared that insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic with an estimated 25% of the United States population suffering from some type of sleep disturbance.
Blood Test May Detect Tumor-Derived DNA in Early-Stage Cancers
Researchers have developed a test that detects tiny amounts of cancer-specific DNA in the blood and used it to accurately identify more than half of 138 people with early-stage colorectal, breast, lung, or ovarian cancers. The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine.
African American Women Continue to Experience Breast Cancer Disparities
Despite interventions to bridge the gap in cancer disparities between African American and white women, racial disparities in breast cancer mortality exist. The National Cancer Institute reported that African American women have a higher mortality rate from breast cancer as compared to Caucasian women (33.8 versus 25.0, respectively).
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Aggressive Treatment Needed for Locoregional Recurrence in Patients With Breast Cancer
Researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, suggested that for women with locoregional recurrence (LRR) of breast cancer, contralateral axillary metastases should be treated aggressively for cure after excluding distant metastases. Challenges of and best practices for managing LRR was discussed at an education session during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Tuesday, December 5.
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Bilingual, Bicultural Patient Navigators May Reduce Disparities in Latinas With Breast Cancer
Researchers from the University of Texas (UT) Health San Antonio have found that providing Latinas with breast cancer with a bilingual, bicultural patient navigator can improve access to care and reduce treatment delays. The researchers presented their findings during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Tuesday, December 5.
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ONS Board Looks Ahead to Exciting Plans in 2018
At the October Board meeting, we looked back at 2017 as a year that included great meeting times for ONS members at Congress in Denver, CO; regional chapter officer meetings; Leadership Weekend in Pittsburgh, PA; and Capitol Hill Days in Washington, DC. The ONS Board also looked ahead to 2018 and the third year of the strategic plan.
Involve the Palliative Care Team Early to Minimize Symptom Impact
Patients with cancer experience many feelings: they’re frightened and they’re hopeful, but mostly they’re in a new world. Symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment are taxing on patients’ physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. In some cases, cancer-related symptoms and side effects are so debilitating that providers struggle to manage them just to get patients to a point where they can continue their treatment. Oncology nurses can lead the interprofessional care team to work together to proactively manage symptoms to ensure patients can endure treatment and come out as themselves on the other side. Proper symptom management doesn’t just promote quality of life but the best possible chance for patient survival.
The Crucial Role of Symptom Management in Cancer Care
Listening to feedback from patients is still one of the most important ways providers can assess and plan treatments for patients with cancer. However, symptom management is never as simple as screening for pain or asking about fatigue: it involves complex decision making, evidence-based interventions, and the support of the entire care team. It’s a central practice to oncology nursing, and it’s paramount to the successful outcomes of patients with cancer.
NCI Advancements Are Pushing Research Forward for Patients
Former U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) put partisanship aside to support federal funding for biomedical research. And, while battling cancer himself, he spoke about the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its crucial role in finding treatments and cures. “Health is our nation’s number one asset. Without your health, you can’t do anything. I believe medical research should be pursued with all possible haste to cure the diseases and maladies affecting Americans. I have said many times that the NIH is the crown jewel of the federal government—perhaps the only jewel of the federal government.”
FDA Approves Ogivri as a Biosimilar to Herceptin
On December 1, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ogivri (trastuzumab-dkst) as a biosimilar to Herceptin (trastuzumab) for the treatment of patients with HER2-overexpressing breast or metastatic stomach cancer (gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma).