Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is the largest cancer care organization in Louisiana, with 19 locations, including Covington, a New Orleans suburb with a growing population of just under 12,000. In 2020, Covington providers were seeing an increasing number of patients facing food insecurity and financial toxicities.
Equipping oncology nurses to conduct nutritional screening assessments can help reduce barriers and close gaps in the timely identification of patients with cancer who are at risk for or experiencing malnutrition, investigators reported in an article published in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. Implementing a standardized, nurse-led screening process helped their community cancer center identify that nearly 40% of their screened patients were at risk for malnutrition, while also increasing nurses’ comfort with and knowledge of cancer-related nutrition.
The relationship between nutrition and cancer outcomes is complex. Nutritional status is closely linked to cancer treatment outcomes as well as the prevalence and tolerance of side effects. Oncology nurses often educate patients about proper nutrition throughout their cancer journey, but adherence requires patients to have access to nutritious food.
In 1965, advanced practice nurse Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, NP-C, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, along with pediatrician Henry Silver, MD, cofounded the United States’ first nurse practitioner (NP) program in pediatric care at the University of Colorado. They created the program in response to the needs of underserved women and children in rural Colorado. I had the great opportunity to meet Ford at the June 2024 American Association of Nurse Practitioners annual conference in Nashville, TN, when we discussed my passion to introduce the NP role to many South American countries.
Individuals from minority groups, current smokers, and those with lower education or income levels are more likely to encounter—and remember seeing—tobacco-related advertising, marketing, or promotions when watching streaming platforms, researchers reported in study findings published in JAMA Network.
Programs such as the 3 Wishes Project not only equip healthcare professionals with the tools to support critically ill patients at the end of life (EOL), but they also promote healthcare worker well-being by instilling a deeper sense of purpose in their work, authors reported in the results of their DNP project published in the June 2024 issue of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.
Median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels are lower in transgender women receiving estrogen than comparable cisgender men without a prostate cancer diagnosis, researchers reported in study findings published in JAMA, possibly because of the gender-affirming therapy’s castrating effects. The finding raises questions about the utility of PSA testing for transgender women with intact prostates.
Tarlatamab-dlle (Imdelltra™) was granted accelerated approval in May 2024 for the treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer with progression on or after a platinum chemotherapy regimen.
Every nurse has a story. Whether orally or in writing, sharing your story is a powerful way to connect with others and highlight the unique aspects of oncology nursing. As a nurse, you may want to express why you’re passionate about your work, how a certain patient made an impact on you, or how cancer care has evolved. No matter your story, here’s how you can tell it effectively.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were in New Orleans on Tuesday to tout the Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative, which aims to boost funding research and treatment to prevent cancer deaths and help those living with the disease. Earlier in the day, the White House announced up to $150 million in awards to eight research teams across the country to develop technologies that will allow surgeons to provide more successful tumor-removal surgeries for people facing cancer.