When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted pemigatinib (Pemazyre®) a new indication in August 2022, it became the first targeted therapy approved for treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory myeloid or lymphoid neoplasms (MLNs) with fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 1 rearrangement. In 2021, FDA gave pemigatinib accelerated approval for patients with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with a FGFR2 fusion or other rearrangement as detected by an FDA-approved test.

Alterations in the phosphatase and tensin (PTEN) homologue gene result in PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome, which includes Cowden, Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba, and PTEN-related Proteus and Proteus-like syndromes. Pathogenic variants in the PTEN gene are associated with increased risk for developing multiple benign and malignant tumors, some of which may occur in childhood.

Disparity. Inequity. Futility. Barriers. Miscommunication. Unacceptance of the inevitable. Ethical and moral challenges perpetuate throughout practice for today’s healthcare workers, particularly oncology nurses in cancer care. As those burdens build up, nurses struggle to sustain their resilience and risk developing burnout or even leaving the profession entirely.

More than one billion individuals worldwide have some type of disability, and the population often faces higher rates of cancer, social determinants of health disadvantages, and greater health disparities. They are also more likely to have risk factors associated with a cancer diagnosis and require close care after a diagnosis that accommodates for their disability.

Patients with rare cancers like intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma seldom have many additional treatment options if their tumors become resistant to first-line therapy: From August 1, 2021–July 31, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved only five new agents or indications for rare tumors. On September 30, 2022, FDA added one more, giving futibatinib (Lytgobi™) accelerated approval for adult patients with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma harboring fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 gene fusions or other rearrangements. The approval was based on the drug’s 42% overall response rate and median duration of response of 9.7 months.