Winning Team Reduces Disparities to Biomarker Testing in First-Ever ONS Hackathon

Topics:

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) launched its inaugural ONS Hackathon™ on November 9, 2020, a competition designed to identify innovative ways to address challenging issues in the delivery of quality cancer care. Meghan O. Coleman, DNP, CRNP, and Alison McDaniel, BSN, RN, OCN^®’s winning project, Evidence-Based Quality Understanding in Pathology, provided ways to solve the problem of unequal access to biomarker and other genetic and genomic testing.

ELNEC Milestone Marks Transformation of EOL Care for Countless Patients With Cancer

Topics:

More than one million nurses and other professionals have received training in end-of-life (EOL) care through the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) program in the past 20 years, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported on November 6, 2020. The training has transformed EOL care around the world, including for patients with cancer.

Protect Patients With Cancer During Flu Season With Recommended Vaccinations

Topics:

Patients with cancer are at increased risk for complications from the common flu. Plus, ensuring they receive recommended influenza vaccinations will reduce flu-related healthcare demands and decrease stress on the United States’ healthcare system, which is crucial as the nation approaches 10 million COVID-19 coronavirus cases. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) isn’t waiting until National Influenza Vaccination Week, December 6–12, 2020, to promote vaccinations to high-risk populations.

What Florence Nightingale Taught Us About Advocacy

Topics:

Many of her famous quotes reveal a dedication to advocacy as well. Here’s what the most well-known pioneer of nursing taught us about raising your voice for what’s right—in health care and policymaking.

Aspirin’s Cancer Benefits May Not Translate to Older Adults

Topics:

Healthy older adults who take daily low-dose aspirin have increased risk of being diagnosed with advanced cancers and dying from cancer, according to findings from a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Intuitive Eating Creates Healthy Food Rituals

Topics:

Food connects us to other cultures, helps us celebrate life’s milestones, and nourishes our body. We spend hours of our day planning meals, cooking, and eating. With food at the center of our lives, a positive view of it promotes health and well-being, but many of us struggle with eating behaviors and weight management throughout our lifetime.

The Case of the Chronic Cancer Condition

Topics:

Lisa, a 32-year-old tax accountant, completed treatment for stage III triple-negative breast cancer 18 months ago. During a follow-up appointment, Lisa reported worsening headaches and difficulty concentrating at work. A magnetic resonance imaging scan and subsequent biopsy revealed a solitary brain lesion. She completed stereotactic brain radiation two months ago.

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Pembrolizumab for Locally Recurrent Unresectable or Metastatic TNBC

Topics:

On November 13, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with locally recurrent unresectable or metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) whose tumors express PD-L1 (combined positive score [CPS] ≥ 10) as determined by an FDA-approved test. FDA also approved the PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx as a companion diagnostic for selecting patients with TNBC for pembrolizumab.

Kansas ONS Chapters Advocate for Health Policy With Federal and State Leaders

Topics:

Over the summer, I coordinated a now all-too-familiar exercise: a Zoom call with multiple ONS Kansas-area chapter members, nurse experts, patient advocates, and elected officials. Spearheaded by the ONS National Office, we hosted an incredibly personal and informative conversation to discuss the COVID-19 coronavirus, how it affects patients with cancer, and the legislative and regulatory environment throughout our state. Our bipartisan, multitiered event brought together oncology nurses from across the state, and, although some political views were different, we united in our commitment to nurses and public health.

Patients With Gynecologic Cancers Have Significant Fatigue After Surgery

Topics:

Forty-eight percent of women with gynecologic cancers report experiencing clinically significant fatigue after surgery that may continue six months (44%) and one (39%) year later, researchers reported in study findings published in Cancer.

Subscribe to