TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5

TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011

For breast cancer patients aged 66 years and older, nurses should consider comorbidities when discussing prognosis, according to an analysis of Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results–Medicare data.

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TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011

The healthcare system is only beginning to recognize what nurses who tend patients with cancer have always known: The loved ones of dying patients also need help managing pain. Julie Cronin, BSN, RN, OCN, an oncology nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, says failing to address family members’ distress has serious consequences. “If the spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental needs of these loved ones are neglected, the rates of morbidity and mortality, depression, and risk for ineffective coping can skyrocket.”

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TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011

CHICAGO—Flaxseed failed to have a significant effect on reducing hot flashes in women compared with placebo, according to results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial supported by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group. The study included breast cancer survivors as well as women who had never had breast cancer who experienced frequent hot flashes throughout the day and night.

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TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011

CHICAGO—Both patients and practitioners realize the importance of psychosocial issues, but today’s cancer care often fails to address them. Steps to resolve this problem are under way, according to experts at an education session.

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TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vemurafenib (Zelboraf, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group) for metastatic or unresectable melanoma. Vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, is able to block the function of the V600E-mutated BRAF protein.

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TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011

It is not “just hair.” Often referred to as a woman’s “crowning glory,” much of a woman’s female identity is defined by her hair—from her femininity, to age, to confidence, to style, women communicate a great deal about themselves by how they wear and style their hair. Without hair, women feel stripped of their identity, and in the context of cancer, women often feel as if they are systematically being stripped of themselves.

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TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011

Patient navigation decreased treatment interruptions among Am - erican Indian patients receiving radiation treatment (RT) with curative intent in a recent study conducted at the Rapid City Regional Hospital Cancer Care Institute in South Dakota. The study also found a high rate of clinical trial participation among its patients. Similar patients who underwent treatment between 1991 and 2004 and did not receive navigation services acted as controls.

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TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011

Each year, adult cancer survivors spend, on average, $4000 to $5000 more on total medical expenditures than people who have never had cancer, according to a study of survivors younger than 65 years. “These ongoing expenditures signal what oncology nurses already know…when people finish their treatment for cancer, that is not necessarily the end of it. They require ongoing support. There’s a need for heightened surveillance that extends for the rest of their lives. Read More ›


TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011

CHICAGO—Decitabine extends overall survival and improves response rates compared with standard therapies in the treatment of older patients with newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), said Xavier G. Thomas, MD, PhD.

The treatment options for older patients with AML are limited. Intensive chemotherapy is generally poorly tolerated in this group, the initial mortality rate is high (exceeding 30% at 8 weeks), the response rate to chemotherapy is poor, and relapse rates are high.

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TON - August 2011 VOL 4, NO 5 — August 24, 2011
Genetic counseling as a profession began in 1969 with the establishment of the first Master’slevel graduate program in genetic counseling. As a process, however, genetic counseling has evolved over a longer period of time. Read More ›

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