Using two agents that target two different receptors more than doubles length of survival for advanced melanoma than a single agent alone, researchers reported at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

Serving on the team that launched the Cancer Moonshot Initiative was just one of the many achievements in Francis Collins’, MD, PhD, 12-year tenure as the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Collins announced in October 2021 that he is stepping down from his role by the end of 2021 after serving as NIH director for three presidential appointments, during which he advocated for increasing NIH’s research budget, learning more about the human genome, and developing treatments tailored to unique genetics.

A first-of-its-kind antibody-drug conjugate for multiple myeloma, belantamab mafodotin-blmf (Blenrep) received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2020. The approval was based on clinical trial findings that demonstrated a 31% overall response rate that lasted at least six months in 73% of responders.

All cells (healthy cells and tumor cells) in the body shed DNA, called cell-free DNA (cfDNA). When it’s only from tumor cells, it’s referred to as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), although cfDNA and ctDNA are sometimes used interchangeably.

Bob is a 68-year-old patient with early-stage cancer of the glottic larynx (right true vocal cord). He is receiving a hypofractionated three-dimensional conformal therapy without concurrent chemotherapy, 225 cGy each day for five days a week to a total dose of 6,075 cGy. He is now in his fourth week of treatment at 4,000 cGy and experiencing side effects. His voice is a high-pitched whisper and talking requires a lot of effort. He reports pain when swallowing his favorite foods like nachos and has lost 2 kg since his last weight check four days ago.

On October 20, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for the Moderna and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) COVID-19 vaccines to allow for the use of a single booster dose for certain populations.

Biomedical research is what transforms medicine. Oncology nurses see the evidence of that daily, from discoveries like immunotherapy that have revolutionized cancer treatment to novel nursing approaches to managing symptoms and adverse events. And thanks to the studies that brought a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine to market in record-breaking time, the world understands research like never before, too.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening may be beneficial for certain patients aged 75–85, according to findings from a new study. The researchers reported the results in JAMA Oncology.

Ron, your 73-year-old patient, decides to transition to hospice care after receiving lung cancer treatment for three years. His partner finds Ron’s decision to move to hospice difficult to accept and encourages him to look for a clinical trial or try alternative treatments. You suggest that the couple speaks with a hospital chaplain, and Ron agrees. His surprised partner says, “Why do you want to talk with a chaplain? We’ve never been religious!”

An estimated 1%–2% of adults have one pathogenic ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene variant (heterozygous) and are considered carriers. People who are homozygous (two altered copies) have ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), a hereditary condition that often appears in childhood and is characterized by progressive neurologic problems that lead to difficulty walking and an increased risk for developing various malignancies. Children with A-T may begin staggering and appear unsteady (ataxia) shortly after learning to walk.