Oncology nurses are frontrunners in identifying and managing symptoms experienced by people with cancer. From communication approaches and apps to integrative interventions, today’s tools can help nurses more efficiently assess and address side effects, thereby improving patient care.

On June 12, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted traditional approval to selpercatinib (Retevmo^®) for adult and pediatric patients aged 2 years and older with advanced or metastatic RET fusion–positive thyroid cancer that requires systemic therapy but is refractory to radioactive iodine (RAI), if RAI is appropriate.

Implementing a standard guideline for nursing management of patients receiving new U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and biotherapy decreased 1:1 patient–nursing hours by nearly 65% and saved more than $100,000 per year at one health system in south Florida, a team of nursing leaders reported in a poster presentation at the 49th annual ONS Congress^® in April 2024.

More than 40% of patients receiving antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) will experience ocular toxicities during treatment, ONS members Caroline Clark, MSN, APRN, OCN^®, AGCNS, EBP-C, and Ikuko Komo, MSN, CNS, NP, AOCNS^®, AOCNP^®, reported in an article in the April 2024 issue of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.

Do you remember the pride you felt when you first put “RN” after your name? Your credentials represent your hard work and dedication. As you add to your education and training, listing your credentials in a standard order ensures they are as meaningful to others as they are to you.

On June 5, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that HomeoCare Laboratories Inc. is voluntarily recalling two batches of StellaLife oral care products to the consumer level because of the presence of microbial contamination.

On June 6, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved imetelstat (Rytelo^™), an oligonucleotide telomerase inhibitor, for adults with low- to intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with transfusion-dependent anemia requiring four or more red blood cell units over eight weeks that has not responded to, has lost response to, or is ineligible for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents.

Palliative and bereavement care should be a health policy priority, an international team of public health scientists reported in Lancet Public Health. They called for interprofessional health workers, organizations, and systems to “shift bereavement care from an afterthought to a public health priority.”

By coordinating and implementing cancer risk reduction strategies, promoting cascade testing, and promoting genetics-related cancer research, one institution’s new genetic cancer prevention clinic improved surveillance, additional testing, discovery of new pathogenic variants, and overall patient satisfaction, a team of oncology nurses and other healthcare professionals reported during a poster presentation at the 49th annual ONS Congress^® in April 2024.

When scheduling appointments for patients newly diagnosed with cancer, patient coordinators may have questions for the patient’s care team. Rather than interrupting direct care providers during their clinical duties, an oncology service access nurse can step in for support, bringing value to both patients and providers.