July 27, 2023

In the United States, one in five adults experiences mental illness every year. Racial and ethnic populations can face particularly unique and inequitable challenges with mental illness and caring for their mental health. To raise awareness about mental health barriers in historically underrepresented groups, July is designated as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

July 26, 2023

ONS member Janice Phillips, PhD, RN, CENP, FAAN, took the reins as the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDHP’s) latest assistant director in July 2023. Her new role positions Phillips, a longtime ONS advocate, to eliminate health disparities and inequities by establishing and strengthening collaboration between IDPH and community partners across the state.

July 26, 2023

Biological sex may be a factor in COVID-19–related mortality among patients with cancer, according to study findings that researchers published in JAMA Oncology. They found that female patients were nearly twice as likely to die from infections than male patients.

July 25, 2023

In bipartisan, bicameral effort to help older adults save money when choosing a Medicare healthcare plan, Senators Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), and Tom Carper (D-DE) and Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Brad Wenstrup, DPM (R-OH), reintroduced the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Part D Choice Act in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in May 2023. The legislation allows Medicare-only PACE participants to choose between the PACE Part D plan or a standalone Medicare Part D plan without incurring high Part D premiums.

July 25, 2023

After clinical trials demonstrated a 43% durable objective response rate with a median 8.5-month duration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted adagrasib (Krazati™) accelerated approval in December 2022 for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with a KRAS G12C variant, as detected by an FDA-approved test, whose disease has progressed on or after at least one prior systemic therapy.

July 24, 2023

Recognizing the critical need to expand advanced practices RNs’ education and training and geographically diverse work opportunities, especially in rural and underserved communities, Representatives Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Steven Horsford (D-NV) introduced the Educating Future Nurses Act in the U.S. House of Representatives in May 2023. At the same time, Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced the legislation in the U.S. Senate.

July 21, 2023

On July 20, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved quizartinib (Vanflyta®) in combination with standard cytarabine and anthracycline induction and cytarabine consolidation and as maintenance monotherapy following consolidation chemotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia that are FLT3 internal tandem duplication-positive, as detected by an FDA-approved test. FDA also approved the LeukoStrat CDx FLT3 variant assay as a companion diagnostic for quizartinib.

July 21, 2023

A nurse’s perspective in the creation of health technology tools to deliver quality patient care is important for the digital era we provide care in. Advancements can be as complex as artificial intelligence in big institutions or as simple as a mobile app for personal smartphones. I’ve been working with other healthcare providers to develop the latter to improve care for pediatric patients with cancer.

July 20, 2023

Currently under study, multicancer early detection (MCED) tests have the potential to fill gaps in the screening process for some cancers, consequently leading to earlier diagnoses for cancers historically diagnosed at later stages because of a lack of screening options. MCED tests use various methods to detect multiple cancers from one blood sample, such as methylation-based assay, which analyzes methylation patterns in cell-free DNA. In cancer cells, hypermethylation may silence tumor suppressor genes in the early stages of cancer growth.