April 2016

ONS Get Up, Get Moving Champions

The evidence is strong! Physical activity is an effective intervention to combat cancer related fatigue and may help mitigate treatment related symptoms such as anxiety and depression, lymphedema and sleep quality – not to mention improve bone and muscle strength. A number of observational studies demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of physical activity during and after cancer treatment with a reduction in cancer recurrence of between 10-50% in a number of cancer types for patients who engaged in regular physical activity during and after cancer treatment.

National Cancer Moonshot Initiative Could Learn From Open-Source Data Ideas

At the 2016 State of the Union Address, President Obama announced a commitment to eliminating cancer by 2020. The “moonshot” is to be led by Vice President Joe Biden, who lost his son to a brain tumor last May. In his statement, Biden acknowledges that there are currently many barriers to cancer research and finding a cure. The Cancer Moonshot will need to come at the problem from many angles in order to be effectual.

Patrick Flynn

FDA Approves Defibrotide Sodium for Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease

On March 30, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Defitelio® (defibrotide sodium, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with hepatic veno-occlusive disease, also known as sinusoidal obstructive syndrome, with renal or pulmonary dysfunction following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

ASCO Annual Meeting

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting brings together 30,000 oncology professionals from around the world. The theme of the 2016 meeting is Collective Wisdom: The Future of Patient-Centered Care and Research, with a focus on shaping the future of patient care and research through a collaborative approach among healthcare providers.

ONS will be reporting live from the conference in June.

More Research Is Needed for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers

Many young adults are just coming into their own through their teenage years and into their 20s. They’re attending college or entering the workforce, they’re beginning to form serious relationships, and they’re often coming to terms with what it means to be an adult. Unfortunately, this age group is not immune to cancer diagnoses. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), more than 70,000 adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer diagnoses happen each year.

Kay Harse

Stephanie Antill

Nurse Researchers Will Play an Important Role in the National Cancer Moonshot

When the general public, including our political leaders, thinks of nurses, they often conjure images of workers in scrubs, attending to patients in a clinical environment. Although clinical nurses are a huge component of health care, including oncology, this leaves out the many nurses who have chosen to pursue patient-centered research.

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