Breast cancer

Palbociclib Plus Letrozole Improves Survival in Advanced Breast Cancer

A study presented at the 2016 ASCO annual meeting confirmed findings that led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of palbociclib in combination with letrozole for first-line treatment in women with estrogen receptor -positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.

October 11, 2016

Patient assistance programs

Help Your Patients Navigate the Financial Challenges of Cancer

Every nurse has been in a situation where he or she is staring at a discharge document, thinking, “This patient will need an immense amount of outside support to adhere to this treatment plan.”

October 04, 2016

Genetics & genomics

Thyroid Cancer Treatment’s Changing Landscape Brings New Hope to Patients

Until 2011, no effective therapeutic options existed for advanced thyroid cancer. However, thanks to clinical studies that have improved the understanding of thyroid cancer’s molecular basis, four kinase inhibitors were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

September 27, 2016

Immunotherapy

An Oncology Nursing Overview of New Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Immunotherapy has led to many new cancer treatments over the past several years and continues to offer increased options and better survival for patients. Oncology nurses need to have an understanding of how these therapies work and how to best manage patients’ side effects.

September 13, 2016

Immunotherapy

MABp1 May Be Effective for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

A new immunotherapy drug, MABp1, is the first to target interleukin-1 alpha and may be effective in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The study results were presented at the World Congress of Gastrointestinal Cancer in Barcelona, Spain.

September 13, 2016

Cancer treatments

Does the Sequence of Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Agents Matter?

Sequencing of cancer treatment regimens is based on multiple factors, including the pharmacokinetic properties of the agents in the regimen and their effectiveness based on cell-cycle specificity. Because of potential interactions and effects, some regimens have critically important administration sequencing.

August 18, 2016

Immunotherapy

How Can Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy Combine for the Future of Cancer Care?

Conventional radiation therapies typically use x-rays to deliver radiation treatments to patients with cancer. However, centers around the United States are focusing more on the promise of proton therapy, as well as researching the links between radiation treatments and immunotherapy.

August 02, 2016

Interdisciplinary teams

Alpha, Beta, and Beyond: How Radiation Therapy Is Evolving in Cancer Care

The field of radiation therapy has come a long way since the introduction of x-rays in 1896. Radiation therapy is now used in nearly 50% of all cancer cases and contributes to 40% of curative treatment. With recent advancements, radiation therapy has grown by leaps and bounds.

August 02, 2016

Multiple myeloma

New Treatments and Insights in Multiple Myeloma

An interview with Beth Faiman, PhD, CNP, and Kimberly Noonan, NP

June 03, 2016

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy Is Changing the Future of Cancer Care

Today, the focus of many groundbreaking cancer therapies has turned inward—to the body’s own immune system. Although using the immune system to fight cancer isn’t a new theory, huge advances in the field of immunotherapy have started to change the landscape of cancer treatment as we know it.

June 01, 2016

Immunotherapy

What’s in Store for the Future of Immunotherapy?

There are exciting developments in the field of immunotherapy today. We are seeing much higher response rates with some of the newer forms of immunotherapy, and it seems to work in many different types of cancer.

May 31, 2016

Immunotherapy

What Oncology Nurses Need to Know About the Newest Targeted Therapies

Oncology immunotherapy options have greatly expanded recently, and it is important for oncology nurses to understand what the therapies are, how they work, and who should be receiving them. Rowena Schwartz, PharmD, BCOP, the vice president of clinical content and services at McKesson Specialty Health, discussed the latest treatment information during a session at the 41st Annual Congress in San Antonio, TX.

April 25, 2016

Cancer treatments

Multiple Myeloma Is Incurable but Treatable

This content was developed by ONS, Beth Faiman, PhD, CNP, and Kimberly Noonan, NP, and is sponsored by Amgen. Faiman and Noonan received no payment for their participation.

April 05, 2016

Biotherapy

Biosimilar Treatments Have Practice Implications

As biosimilars continue to gain popularity in cancer care, healthcare workers should be prepared to see them in their practice. Here’s what you need to know about this newer drug product.

April 05, 2016

Oncology health literacy

Patient Education Needs With Pazopanib Therapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Few therapies are effective for treating advanced soft tissue sarcoma, so pazopanib quickly became a commonly prescribed therapy once it was approved for STS in April 2012. Although pazopanib is safe and effective, patients must be educated about its administration and side effects.

March 08, 2016

Ovarian cancer

Effective Treatment for Ovarian Cancer Is Underused

A new study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has shown that fewer than half of women with metastatic ovarian cancer are receiving an effective treatment that could improve ovarian cancer outcomes.

October 13, 2015

Adverse events

Antiemetics for Nausea and Vomiting Simplified

As oncology nurses, we must have a solid understanding of and a certain comfort level with the use of antiemetics. It seems easy to get stuck in a routine that revolves around one or two drugs for all of our patients. However, antiemetic regimens need to be just as individualized for patients as their chemotherapy regimens.

July 14, 2015

Cancer treatments

Understand Medication Adherence to Oral Oncology Agents

More than half of new cancer treatment regimens involve an oral route of administration because oral drugs are more manageable and convenient for patients. However, oral medications pose challenges with regard to patient adherence.

April 25, 2015

Chemotherapy

Outpatient Oncology Drug Series: Doxorubicin Is the Infamous Red Devil

Doxorubicin is a cytotoxic chemotherapy drug and an antitumor antibiotic in the anthracycline group. You’ll see this drug quite a lot In the outpatient setting, and most commonly, you’ll use it to treat patients with breast cancer.

April 10, 2015

Cancer treatments

Outpatient Oncology Drug Series: Don't Forget Leucovorin Calcium, the Superhero Sidekick

I think it's helpful to be able to educate your patients on the reasons for receiving each individual drug in a combination regimen. Although leucovorin is not a chemotherapy agent or generally used as a stand-alone drug, it certainly is important. Leucovorin has a specific function, and you should be able to explain its purpose.

March 16, 2015

Cancer treatments

When Should Appetite Stimulants Be Discussed With Patients With Unintended Weight Loss From Cancer Treatment?

Unintended weight loss and anorexia in patients with cancer is associated with decreased performance status, reduced response and tolerance to treatment, decreased survival, and reduced quality of life.

January 20, 2015

Chemotherapy

Outpatient Oncology Drug Series: Paclitaxel Packs a Punch

Oncology nursing is a field in which you are challenged on a regular basis to expand your knowledge because of the constantly changing field of treatments being used. Whether you are new or seasoned, it can be difficult to stay on top of the numerous agents used for varying diagnoses.

December 12, 2014

Adverse events

The Case of the Cannabis Conundrum

Derek is a 20-year-old patient with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia. He will be receiving a bone marrow transplant in the next six days. When discussing Derek’s home medications, he says to the nurse, “I smoke a lot of pot because it helps me feel better about all of this.” Upon further discussion, Derek reveals he started smoking marijuana to relieve nausea. What would you do?

December 02, 2014

Adverse events

Manage Immune-Related Adverse Events Associated With Cancer Immunotherapies

The FDA approved two new immunomodulatory agents, sipuleucel-T and ipilimumab, in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Sipuleucel-T was approved to treat metastatic prostate cancer, and ipilimumab was approved for advanced or metastatic melanoma.

September 09, 2014

Genetics & genomics

Get a Cheat Sheet on Personalized Medicine, Genomics, and Pharmacogenomics in Oncology

Since the concepts of inheritance, genetics, and medical genetics were introduced, researchers have found that many factors other than the presence or absence of a single gene predict disease.

August 12, 2014

Chemotherapy

Balance Harms and Benefits of Palliative Chemotherapy at End of Life

The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently identified end-of-life chemotherapy as one of the top-five practices that could improve patients’ care and reduce costs, if stopped.

May 20, 2014

Oncology drug research

FDA Approves Ramucirumab for Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma

On April 21, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ramucirumab for use as a single agent for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic, gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma with disease progression on or after prior treatment with fluoropyrimidine- or platinum-containing chemotherapy.

April 22, 2014

Chemotherapy

U.S. Survey Reports Oral Chemotherapy Practice and Safety Patterns

As chemotherapy administration has shifted from IV delivery in the infusion center to oral delivery at home, so has the burden for the five rights of medication administration.

March 11, 2014

Oral adherence

No Ordinary Pill

Oral agents are changing oncology treatment, and along with it, who’s responsible for the safety of those treatments. “With oral agents, the onus is now primarily on patients and their caregivers,” says ONS member Kathy Leifeste. This is quite a shift from the nurse-administered IV chemotherapy and biotherapy we’ve grown accustomed to.

March 01, 2014

Cancer treatments

ASH Recommends Wise Choices for Five Hematologic Tests and Treatments

A new list of evidence-based recommendations from the American Society of Hematology helps patients and providers understand which hematology-related tests and treatments pose significant harm and cost if overused and therefore should be avoided.

February 18, 2014

Targeted therapy

The Names of Targeted Therapies Give Clues to How They Work

I was reading through the program of my granddaughter's dance recital and noticed that there was not a single common name in the first three groups of young dancers. It was as if their parents purposefully decided to come up with the most unique names possible. This is not the case with the family names of targeted cancer drugs.

December 31, 2013

Access to cancer care

Help Rural HCT Recipients Overcome Barriers to Post-Treatment Care

For patients with hematologic malignancies and genetic immune disorders, HCT is a potentially curative treatment. However, because the therapy is so specialized, only select cancer centers with the appropriate expertise, resources, and experiences offer it.

September 10, 2013

Cancer treatments

Several Promising New Cancer Drugs Could Come to Market by 2015

Many promising studies presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting involved new cancer drugs that empower the body’s defense system.

August 27, 2013

Melanoma

FDA Approves Dabrafenib for Unresectable or Metastatic Melanoma

On May 29, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dabrafenib (Tafinlar™ capsule, GlaxoSmithKline), for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test.

May 30, 2013

Treatment side effects

Veno-Occlusive Disease Is the Most Common Hepatic Complication in Stem Cell Transplants

Autologous transplantation: patients receive their own stem cells after a course of myeloablative conditioning

November 02, 2012

Chemotherapy

Find Out How Simulation Is Used in Chemotherapy Education and Competency Measurement

As the range of diag­noses on medical-​​surgical units becomes more com­plex

May 20, 2012

Cancer treatments

ONS Clinical Lectureship Recipient Talks About New Treatment Options for Renal Cancer

Since 2005, seven new targeted therapies have been approved for renal cell carcinoma

May 02, 2012