For protection against breast cancer recurrence, results from one recently reported study can best be described as “good news, bad news.”
Oncology nurses are portrayed as the compassionate, dedicated heroes they truly are in a short documentary-style film, Heroic Hearts: To Be an Oncology Nurse, the Movie, which premiered at the Oncology Nursing Society 41st Annual Congress.
A review of the incidence and management of hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin revealed that many patients are unnecessarily taken off this important drug. Most reactions are mild, and most patients can be successfully rechallenged with the drug, according to a study presented at the 2016 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium by Kelly Markey, PharmD, of Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL.
For the treatment of radiodermatitis, a skin product containing calendula (a type of marigold) resulted in faster healing than Aquaphor plus aloe vera gel, according to interim results of a comparative study presented as a poster at the Oncology Nursing Society 41st Annual Congress.
Multivitamin supplement use was associated with a reduction in symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in a subanalysis of the SWOG S0221 trial. Patients who were using multivitamins before chemotherapy had 40% less neuropathy, and those using them during or after treatment had a 23% reduced risk.
A hematology unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY, succeeded in greatly reducing chemotherapy wait time and increasing satisfaction among inpatients, as described by Elena Lubimov, RN, BSN, OCN, at the Oncology Nursing Society 41st Annual Congress.
An electronic locator system worn by nurses proved helpful in measuring purposeful hourly rounding in an inpatient oncology unit. It also helped reduce falls and call bells.
The 2016 Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society marked the 41st anniversary of the organization. More than 3000 registrants met at the newly renovated Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX, just steps from the famed San Antonio River Walk.
Oncology nurses at The Ohio State University, Columbus, have been altering their chemotherapy infusions scheduling and achieving higher volume, along with increased patient and nurse satisfaction. At the Oncology Nursing Society 41st Annual Congress, 2 of these projects were described at poster sessions, the Stephanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center and the Wexner Medical Center.
The drug shortage crisis is easing, but an actual solution to the problem is still elusive, according to participants in a press briefing that addressed the issue at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) held in Chicago, Illinois.
Richard Schilsky, MD, chair of ASCO’s government relations committee and an oncologist at the University of Chicago, indicated, “Patient care has been threatened in many cases. But the good news is that the frequency of drug shortages is beginning to decline.”
Outpatient management of febrile neutropenia is appropriate for carefully selected lowrisk patients, according to Ashley Morris Engemann, PharmD, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, who spoke at the 2012 Pharmacy Program held in Hollywood, Florida, during the 17th Annual Conference of the National Comp - rehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).
Engemann noted that treating patients at home is clearly the patient’s preference and is cost saving.
The biggest newsmaker at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) was a compound whose name and actions sound practically missile-like: T-DM1. Because of its highly targeted and potent effect that spares surrounding healthy tissue, T-DM1 not only has potent antitumor effects but is also very well tolerated.
Antipsychotic Controls Breakthrough Nausea and Vomiting
For patients with hematologic cancers, an educational DVD about the bone marrow transplant process can explain complex concepts and facilitate discussions with nurses, according to representatives of Be The Match (www.BeTheMatch.org/patients), a program of the National Marrow Donor Program, which is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
At the 37th Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Elizabeth A. Murphy, RN, EdD, and Ellen M. Denzen, MS, shared their experience with this teaching approach.
The need to optimize the treatment of patients with cancer while using healthcare resources wisely—in other words, providing “value-based cancer care”—is not a topic of debate, but how to achieve this pressing goal is far from clear. In a panel discussion during the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care’s Second Annual Conference, held in Houston, Texas, strategists from the payer side of the issue discussed the current trends and the challenges they are facing.
In a randomized phase 2 study of patients with metastatic breast cancer, peripheral neuropathy was less likely to occur in patients receiving eribulin mesylate than with ixabepilone.
“Peripheral neuropathy is a big problem in the treatment of breast cancer. Across the spectrum, patients have it, and we don’t know how to treat it,” said Linda T. Vahdat, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, who presented the study at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
A quality-of-life analysis of the large randomized NCIC MA. 27 trial shows that symptoms of endocrine therapy can be severe and have a negative effect on quality of life. The study also found that women with side effects from previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy before they start taking endocrine therapy are at higher risk for early discontinuation. Read More ›
SAN FRANCISCO—A number of interventions can help reduce breast cancer among women at high risk, but uptake is sluggish, and there can be confusion about which agent to prescribe to a given patient. Seema Khan, MD, professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, addressed the topic of pharmacologic risk reduction at the 2011 Breast Cancer Symposium.
CHICAGO—Targeted drugs are very effective in patients with a well-specified molecular target. Examples include imatinib in patients with chronic myelog enous leukemia and trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer. Evidence, however, has shown only modest improvements in outcomes when targeted agents are given to “unselected patients,” that is, those lacking a tumor characteristic (or mutation) that is specifically addressed by a given drug. Read More ›
SAN ANTONIO—A rapidly growing, nationwide clinical trial matching service that is user-friendly for patients is enabling more patients to learn about and enroll in clinical trials, said Ellie Cohen, PhD, the program’s director. Cohen described the success of her program at the 33rd annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
SAN FRANCISCO—One of the most perplexing issues for healthcare providers caring for breast cancer patients is the management of hot flashes, both natural and induced by treatment, because estrogen replacement therapy is not considered wise.
STOCKHOLM—Oncology nurses can take simple measures to help patients manage incontinence related to surgery for rectal cancer.
Restoration of intestinal continuity and preservation of the anal sphincter is now done via an ultralow anterior resection, but this can leave patients with functional problems that need attention, said Claire Taylor, RN, a lecturer at the Burdett Institute of Gastrointestinal Nursing at St. Mark’s Hospital in London.
STOCKHOLM—After radiation to the pelvic area, gastrointestinal symptoms are common and can be severe. Jervoise Andreyev, MD, consultant gastroenterologist in pelvic radiation disease at the Royal Marsden Hospital in the United Kingdom, maintained that such patients are not given the attention they deserve, leading to unnecessary suffering.
Almost 1 of 5 oncology nurses is unintentionally exposed to chemotherapy agents, according to an article published online August 16 in BMJ (British Medical Journal) Quality & Safety.
For antiemetic prophylaxis, a model of shared cost-savings using incentives such as cash rebates might reduce the high cost of some pharmaceuticals while maintaining patient access to optimal care, according to oncologists from Michigan.
CHICAGO—The population of cancer survivors is growing rapidly. More than 12 million Americans are alive after a cancer diagnosis, with most living at least 5 years, and 16% living 20 years after their initial diagnosis.
This growing population of cancer survivors is at risk for many comorbid health conditions, especially as they age. A study of 10,397 childhood cancer survivors found this group to be 8 times more likely to have a severe or life-threatening condition than their siblings (Oeffinger K, et al. N Engl J Med. 2006;355:1572-1582).
CHICAGO—Several studies addressed key questions in the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). One evaluated a shorter, more intense rituximab-based regimen, and another evaluated the benefit of autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) in high-risk patients. The 21-day regimen of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CHOP) is still the standard of care for this paient population.
CHICAGO—The cancer drug pipeline is bursting with promising new therapies for a variety of tumors. Of the many investigational drugs presented, this article highlights some of the most promising agents now in phase 2 or 3 clinical trials.
Cabozantinib
This oral inhibitor of MET kinase and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor produced high rates of disease control in several solid tumor types, and fully or partially eliminated bone metastases in a randomized phase 2 study.
SAN FRANCISCO—A novel smallcaliber metal stent can provide a low-risk means of palliation for severe malignant dysphagia, according to investigators who have created these stents and are now testing them in trials. The results were presented at the 2011 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium by Stephen Kucera, MD, of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, where he is an interventional endoscopy fellow. Read More ›
SAN FRANCISCO—A novel small-caliber metal stent can provide a low-risk means of palliation for severe malignant dysphagia, according to investigators who have created these stents and are now testing them in trials. The results were presented at the 2011 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium by Stephen Kucera, MD, of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, where he is an interventional endoscopy fellow.
For patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), advances in molecular profiling have led to an explosion in novel agents specific for targets above and beyond the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Joseph Tabernero, MD, director of clinical research at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology in Barcelona, Spain, previewed the future of treatment for CRC.
MILAN—Painful vertebral compression fractures can be promptly and effectively treated with balloon kyphoplasty, an international study showed.
The Cancer Patient Fracture Evaluation (CAFE) study was the first to randomize cancer patients with vertebral compression fractures to balloon kyphoplasty or standard nonsurgical treatment (controls). The results were reported by Leonard Bastian, MD, of the Klinikum Leverkusen in Leverkusen, Germany.
MILAN—Prolonging chemotherapy until disease progression improves progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), according to a systematic analysis presented at the 35th European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.
MILAN—The investigative poly (ADPribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor iniparib (BSI-021) im proved not only progression-free survival (PFS) but also overall survival (OS) in the final analysis of a randomized phase 2 study, presented at the 35th European Society for Medical Oncology Congress by Joyce O’Shaughnessy, MD, of US Oncology and Baylor Sammons Cancer Center, Houston.
Debate continues as to whether all patients with early human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)+ breast cancer need an anthracycline with trastuzumab. Updated data from the Breast Cancer International Research Group (BCIRG)-006 trial suggest that eliminating the anthracycline will have comparable efficacy and be less toxic.
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