Misconceptions about radiation treatments, associated side effects, and impact on patient care still permeate medical oncology for patients and providers alike. As educators, patient advocates, and caregivers, radiation oncology nurses play a critical role in the successful treatment and support of patients with cancer.

Nurse practitioners provide quality and value in radiation oncology clinics. By managing the effects of radiation during and after treatment, as well as following patients into survivorship, nurse practitioners are continually improving the quality of care that patients receive during and following treatment.

Internet and web-based programs are becoming increasingly important resources in career training, including for oncology nursing. However, training in supportive oncology can still pose challenges. Researchers studied how institutions used web-based oncology training for healthcare professionals (HCPs) and presented their findings on Monday, June 4, at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force held its first public meeting from May 30–31, 2018, in Washington, DC. Convened as part of 2016’s Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, the task force has been charged to address the nation’s continued opioid abuse crisis.

Ensuring patients adhere to oral medications for cancer can be a complex task, especially if patients have low health literacy. Oral medications for cancer continue to be more prevalent, but rates of adherence to oral therapy vary widely by population, cancer type, and level of education. At the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, researchers presented the results of a study that hypothesized health literacy’s connection to oral medication adherence and whether a multilevel intervention approach would result in greater adherence.

Options and cost are a double-edged sword as biomedical research marches forward and the list of approved drugs expands. More targeted drugs for specific diseases means that more patients have treatment plans that can directly fight their specific disease, possibly resulting in cures.

Evidence already supports a connection between night shift work and an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the mechanism has been difficult to pinpoint. In a study presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, researchers evaluated the insulin receptor substrate (IRS) 1 and 2 proteins and presented the role they play in the connection of night shift work and CRC.

Oncology nurses often work with older patients with cancer, but knowledge gaps in training can remain. To combat this issue, researchers implemented an educational curriculum in geriatric care for oncology nurses and presented the results of that training at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

A component of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, AT-rich interactive domain 1A (ARID1A), regulates gene expression. Data on the characteristics and associated clinicopathologic features of ARID1A in colorectal cancer (CRC) are limited, even though its mutations are reported in a variety of other cancers. In study findings presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, researchers explained an increased understanding of the ARID1A mutation in CRC.

Improving quality and reducing costs in a practice are two of the Oncology Care Model’s (OCM) key goals, and one of the best ways to achieve them is to reduce unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. During a study presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, researchers described a campaign implemented to reach those objectives.