Most emergencies can manifest in the blink of an eye. Whether it’s a medical emergency, a car accident, an act of nature, or something else, emergencies are sudden crises that require swift, immediate action. For many patients with cancer, among the most distressing challenges along the treatment journey is the possibility of experiencing an oncologic emergency.
The Biden Cancer Summit was held in Washington, DC, on September 21, 2018. The day-long event was filled with cancer-related educational sessions—some hosted by ONS leadership—discussing ways to move cancer research and care forward. Formerly dubbed the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, the country-wide effort to make a quantum leap in cancer care has evolved in into the Biden Cancer Initiative (BCI). BCI’s ongoing work will continue to break down barriers and help providers and researchers overcome obstacles as they work toward progress in cancer care.
While awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Florence last month, I took the opportunity to purge the proverbial closets. One contained dozens of VHS tapes. I had no need to keep most of them, but one caught my attention. “Focus: Specialty Nursing” was produced by the National Nursing Network. The video referenced how changes in the healthcare system were resulting in increased nursing specialization and a growing number of specialty nursing organizations.
Researchers have discovered that breast myoepithelium cells actively work to keep breast cancer cells from spreading throughout the body. The findings were reported in the Journal of Cell Biology.
Oncology nurses can use various types of awards, grants, and scholarships to advance their careers. Through the ONS Foundation, ONS’s charitable arm, nurses have many options. Linda Worrall, RN, MSN, executive director of the ONS Foundation, presented an overview of the awards, grants, and scholarships that the Foundation has available for oncology nurses.
On September 24, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regular approval to duvelisib for adult patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) after at least two prior therapies.
As researchers learn more about how combination therapy combats drug resistance and lessens the changes of tumor evasion of the immune system, immune checkpoint inhibitors are receiving approval for a broader range of indications. However, recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals have centered around hematologic malignancies and the emergence of two new biosimilars.
The financial toxicity associated with cancer care is becoming a widely known side effect of cancer treatment. Beyond the disease's physical impact, patients are suffering from overwhelming medical costs, high prescription drug prices, and unforeseen, expensive complications. Those issues, often coupled with the inability to work, are leading to many patients quickly depleting their savings or slipping into debt.
Building on a long career as a pioneer in oncology nursing research and cancer clinical trials, ONS member Deborah Watkins Bruner, RN, PhD, FAAN, has been named the senior vice president of research at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, a newly created position that serves on the Emory president’s leadership team. Effective October 1, 2018, Bruner’s leadership, expertise, and research experience will guide Emory’s interprofessional research efforts and promote education and training for future researchers, including nurse scientists.
Nurses can attain several levels of practice leadership to grow their professional development, including the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and the clinical nurse leader (CNL). However, both roles are very different in their daily duties and responsibilities. Nancy Froggatt, MN, RN, CNL, of the Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, WI, and Lenise Taylor, MN, RN, AOCNS®, BMTCN®, of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA, provided advice on the CNS and CNL roles and how to assess which might be best for your career.