Access to quality breast cancer screening and treatment may contribute to racial disparities outcomes. In 2016, researchers at the urban safety net Cook County Health and Hospitals System in Chicago, IL, implemented changes in mammography practices, which included installing digital machines at one of four sites, centralizing reading of images at a single site with radiologists specialized in mammography, and increasing care coordination such as enhanced patient outreach efforts.

Current guidelines recommend asymptomatic surveillance of breast cancer only for the detection of locoregional recurrences. Researchers from the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Republic of Korea, conducted a retrospective 10-year survival analysis of a large cohort of patients with recurrent breast cancer to identify the impact of early detection on survival outcomes and presented the findings at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on December 5, 2018.

Dollars spent on cancer drugs increased from $26.8 billion in 2011 to $42.1 billion in 2016, according to the results of a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice.

In 2000, I was diagnosed with stage III esophageal cancer—adenocarcinoma—and was put on a treatment regimen of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and ultimately surgery to my esophagus. After talking with my doctors and nurses, heartburn was determined to be the cause of cancer. I didn’t realize at the time that survival rates for my disease were extremely low. 

People often use idioms—such as “going under the knife” as a euphemism for surgery—to avoid confronting distressing situations, which is even more pronounced when it comes to life events as serious as cancer. But for many patients with cancer, undergoing a surgical procedure is key to positive outcomes, and they count on the expert clinical care and support of their surgical oncology nurses to see them through it.

Many patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) achieve complete remission (CR) after induction chemotherapy; however, just 30% of patients maintain CR for three years or longer. Long-term outcomes for those who do maintain CR are largely unknown. Results from a new study have shown that new medical problems frequently occur, and patients require routine surveillance and preventative measures. Catherine Kendall Major, BS, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Lakeland, TN, discussed the findings at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 3, 2018.

Patients and families can make better healthcare decisions that are consistent with patients’ needs, values, and preferences when they are more informed and educated about the disease, according to study findings that Anne C. Roc, PhD, of PlatformQ Health in Needham, MA, discussed at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 3, 2018.

Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a common complication in patients with acute leukemia and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Information on platelet transfusion practice in patients following ICH is limited, so researchers assessed clinical features and outcomes to better guide transfusion practices after ICH. Shannon Nixon, NP, of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at the University of Toronto, discussed the findings at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 3, 2018.

Improved monitoring of pediatric patients undergoing blood and marrow transplant (BMT) may result in better precision symptom management strategies. Mobile health and wearable technologies may aid in such efforts by providing data on complex symptom patterns, trajectories, and interactions. Researchers conducted a pilot study and found that integrating mobile health technology into care was feasible, although they had concerns about compliance. Nirmish Shah, MD, of Duke University School of Medicine in Raleigh, NC, discussed the findings at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 3, 2018.

Researchers in Spain developed the Geriatric Assessment in Hematology (GAH) scale to classify patients as robust (those with strength or vigorous health) or frail (those with a poorer prognosis). The tool is validated for use in myelodysplastic syndromes, acute myeloid leukemia, multiple myeloma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Researchers assessed its use and validity among patients with lymphoma. Raul Cordoba, MD, PhD, of Fundacion Jimenez Diaz University Hospital in Madrid, Spain, discussed the findings at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 3, 2018.