Nivolumab with chemotherapy and pembrolizumab with enfortumab vedotin-ejfv, an antibody-drug conjugate, are superior to standard chemotherapy as initial treatment for patients with advanced bladder cancer, researchers reported in study results from the Checkmate-901 and EV-302 clinical trials. The studies represent major strides in treatment for advanced bladder cancer, which has not seen changes in standard initial therapy for many years.

Our gut microbiome—the diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotes such as fungi, that inhabit the gastrointestinal (GI) tract—can affect our entire body’s health. Most people’s microbiomes have a healthy balance of organisms that stay contained in the GI tract because of the lining’s tight epithelial cell junctions. But from the gut, bacteria are capable of generating a range of vitamins, synthesizing amino acids, and breaking down and metabolizing indigestible carbohydrates.

Fifty years holds volumes of history.

Marginalized groups are exposed to higher burdens of chronic conditions and have historically experienced more health disparities compared to their White counterparts because of structural racism, Those vulnerabilities put them at higher risk for severe COVID-19; however, marginalized groups are less likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, nurse scientist Ijeoma Julie Eche-Ugwu, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC, AOCNP^®, CPHON^®, BMTCN^®, and nurse educator Nadia Alcindor, RN, MSN, reported in the February 2024 issue of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.

One to two out of every 10,000 individuals who received computed tomography (CT) scans as a young patient will develop a hematologic cancer later in life, researchers reported in study findings published in Nature Medicine. The findings demonstrate the need for continued use of radiation protection for younger patients and careful consideration of risks and benefits of diagnostic testing.

Individuals with a larger family network and relatives with a cancer diagnosis are more likely to seek cancer screening or genetic testing, according to study findings researchers published in the Oncology Nursing Forum. The findings linked family size, cohesiveness, and history of cancer are important factors in determining an individual’s use of screening and genetic testing.

In two clinical trials, patients who received fruquintinib (Fruzaqla™) had an overall survival of 7.4 and 9.3 months compared to 4.8 and 6.6 months with placebo, leading to the drug’s November 2023 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for adults with metastatic colorectal cancer who previously received standard chemotherapy and experienced disease progression. 

Nurses are at the top of the U.S. public’s list of high-quality healthcare providers, according to the results of a new Gallup poll assessing opinions about the care provided in the U.S. healthcare system.

A new Biden administration rule released Wednesday aims to streamline the prior authorization process used by insurers to approve medical procedures and treatments. Prior authorization is a common tool used by insurers but much maligned by providers and patients, who say it’s often used to deny provider-recommended care.

If you feel that the hours in your day are all work and no play, you’re not alone. More than 20% of RNs reported working 41–50 hours per week on the 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey—a statistic that’s increased since the 2017 and 2020 surveys, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers said. Nurses are already overworked and burned out, and well-meaning consumer health media suggestions to simply “practice work–life balance” may add feelings of stress and inadequacy.