The majority of patient with cancer will face acute or chronic pain during their oncology journey. According to a recent study, approximately 53% of all patients receiving treatment experience pain. Moreover, 59% to 64% of patients with advanced cancer report pain. Nearly one-third of all patients report experiencing pain post-curative treatment.

Marie Bakitas, DNSc, CRNP, AOCN®, FAAN, was honored with this year’s ONS Distinguished Nurse Researcher Award. She detailed her career and the evolution of palliative care for patients with cancer in a moving presentation that earned a standing ovation during a session at the 41st Annual Congress in San Antonio, TX.

The latest research has shown that epigenetic pathways may provide new therapeutic options for patients with cancer. Researchers know that changes in epigenetic control of gene expression in cancer cells, and surrounding cells in the tumor microenvironment, play a fundamental role in driving tumor development, as well as response to chemotherapy and immune treatment.

Lately, an increased focus on quality and patient safety has evolved, and various healthcare organization have developed metrics specifically related to the care of patients with cancer. However, the increase in quality and safety metrics can be overwhelming.

Oncology nurses are an integral part of patient care team. Sometimes, they are at the forefront of discussing difficult treatment- and diagnosis-related topics. Ann Katz, RN, PhD, a clinical nurse specialist at Cancer Care Manitoba, provided insight on how to talk to patients about “the elephant in the room” during a session at the 41st Annual Congress in San Antonio, TX.

By following guidelines for antiemetic regimens, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) can be prevented in most patients. Oncology nurses can be an important member of a multidisciplinary healthcare team to promote and reinforce those guidelines to achieve optimal patient care.

Patient distress as a response to a cancer diagnosis is common, though distress screening and access to quality interventions is not universal or standardized throughout the U.S. healthcare system. A comprehensive screening approach by an interdisciplinary team can ensure standards be integrated into an outpatient facility.

The understanding and management of cancer-related symptoms is a primary role for oncology nurses. No patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures currently exist for those with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). A recent descriptive, cross-sectional study sought to develop a short, valid, reliable PRO measure of symptom burden for patients with AML and MDS to determine the validity for practice and research. The study was funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

A three-year follow-up of the ELOQUENT-2 study compared the long-term safety of elotuzumab—a humanized immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody—in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. This ongoing phase III, open-label, randomized, multicenter study included patients who had received one to three previous lines of therapy and assessed the safety of each treatment regimen.

Chemotherapy is a high-alert medication, and errors in administration may lead to serious patient harm. Carole Elledge, RN, MSN, AOCN^®, Mary Krivoy, RN, BSN, OCN^®, and Cheryl Downey, RN, BSN, OCN^®, developed a systematic, hospital-wide approach for safe chemotherapy administration at the Methodist Hospital, in San Antonio, TX, and presented their program during a poster session at the ONS 41st Annual Congress in San Antonio, TX. The poster was titled “Implementation of Checklists to Improve Safe Practice Surrounding Chemotherapy Administration.”  

The 41st annual ONS Congress will be held in San Antonio, TX, for 2016, bringing together oncology nurses from all over the world. From April 28–May 1, oncology professionals will congregate to share their experiences, attend up-to-date research presentations, network with like-minded oncology professionals, and more.

I love quotes. I love collecting them from books, movies, speeches, etc. and writing them down to reflect on. The 39th Annual ONS Congress in Anaheim was a gold mine of great quotes and information.

What were attendees wild about at the 38th Annual ONS Congress? Each other: learning from and next to more than 3,500 other oncology nurses ready to celebrate the joy of oncology nursing.