As oncology nurses, our personal biases can affect not only our own brains and cognitive functioning but also the mental health of those we interact with. We all have biases, or preconceived notions or ideas about particular people, groups, or circumstances. They frequently result from prior experiences, cultural and societal influences, and societal conditioning.

U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), along with more than 50 members of the U.S. Congress, wrote a letter in June 2023 calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to abide by a court-ordered deadline to review outstanding Premarket Tobacco Product Applications for e-cigarette products that remain on the market without approval. The call comes after FDA failed to meet the initial deadline of September 9, 2021, to complete its review of all pending e-cigarette applications.

More than twice as many of today’s cancer survivors say they’re experiencing functional limitations after their disease than those in 1999, according to study findings published in JAMA Oncology. The prevalence was also nearly twice as high as that reported in the general population, but it varied by diagnosis and was disproportionately higher among Black and Hispanic survivors.

In its annual report to the U.S. Congress on drug shortages, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cited the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain problems, and approval processes as reasons for the shortages during the 2022 calendar year.

In clinical trials, pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca™) was effective in restoring BTK inhibition in patients that experienced progression after previously receiving a covalent BTK inhibitor. Pirobrutinib became the first-available noncovalent (reversible) BTK inhibitor in January 2023 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted it accelerated approval.

In a record number of outreaches, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters in June 2023 to 189 retailers for selling unauthorized tobacco products. Two notable brands included in the warning, Elf Bar and Esco Bars, sell disposable e-cigarettes that come in flavors that appeal to youth, such as bubblegum and cotton candy.

Join ONS member Ashley Barill, BSN, OCN®, nurse supervisor at WVU Medicine in Morgantown, WV, as she explains how she and her team train using mock code simulations in an outpatient infusion center in this video. Mock code simulations can help oncology nurses and other healthcare professionals prepare for emergencies, and Barill’s tips and resources are helpful tools when conducting those simulations. 

In 2019, the mood was hopeful. As we looked ahead to the next decade, Republicans and Democrats in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate appeared to be at a consensus point on a major policy issue: access to affordable prescription medications for the American public.

On August 14, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved melphalan (Hepzato™) for injection or hepatic delivery system (Hepzato Kit) containing melphalan as a liver-directed treatment for adult patients with uveal melanoma with unresectable hepatic metastases affecting less than 50% of the liver and no extrahepatic disease, or extrahepatic disease limited to the bone, lymph nodes, subcutaneous tissues, or lung that is amenable to resection or radiation.

Individuals at risk for financial toxicity from the high costs of hematologic cancer care reported saving an average of $2,500 when guided by the services of an oncology financial navigation program, researchers reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice.