TON - February 2019, Vol 12, No 1

The February issue of The Oncology Nurse-APN/PA (TON) is packed with important news and insights for today’s oncology nurse. We start off our coverage with a profile of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, which, in collaboration with RWJBarnabas Health, provides patients with cancer many advanced treatment options. This interview is with Renee Kurz, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, AOCNP, Associate Director, Statewide Research, and Patient and Nursing Education, who was excited to discuss the center’s accreditation as a Provider of Continuing Nursing Education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Dr Kurz explained how this accreditation has allowed Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey to offer nurses high-quality oncology education to meet certification or licensure requirements. She also discussed how these educational offerings benefit patients (click here). Read More ›

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, in collaboration with RWJBarnabas Health, offers patients many advanced cancer treatment options, including immunotherapy, precision medicine, preventive services, and education. In 2018, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey earned accreditation as a Provider of Continuing Nursing Education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which recognizes high-quality continuing nursing education, interprofessional continuing education, transition to practice programs, and skills-based competency programs. Read More ›

The large, randomized TAM-01 clinical trial demonstrated that 5 mg daily of tamoxifen for 3 years halved the risk for recurrence of breast intraepithelial neoplasia—atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and lobular carcinoma in situ—in women after surgery and reduced the risk for new contralateral breast cancer by 75% compared with placebo. Read More ›

San Antonio, TX—An interim analysis of a randomized clinical trial showed that a lifestyle intervention aimed at weight loss achieved approximately a 1-kg weight loss in patients with early breast cancer who received chemotherapy, whereas patients in the control group gained approximately 1 kg over the course of the study. Read More ›

Although the cost of care can have severe effects on patients with cancer and their families, oncologists rarely address financial toxicity, according to Hanna K. Sanoff, MD, MPH, Medical Director, University of North Carolina (UNC) NC Cancer Hospital Clinics. Read More ›

Munich, Germany—The combination of immunotherapy with nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) may soon represent a new first-line treatment option in patients with early-stage metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) associated with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) tumors. Two studies presented at the ESMO 2018 Congress demonstrated the efficacy of this combination in this patient population. Read More ›

Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has achieved remarkable long-­lasting remissions in B-cell malignancies, in approximately 60%, the initial response wanes over time because of “immune exhaustion.” Read More ›

Munich, Germany—For patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer, current standard management is androgen-deprivation therapy plus docetaxel (Taxotere). Contrary to previous assumptions, radiation to the primary tumor improves survival in men with low metastatic disease burden. This new finding came from the preplanned analysis of the multiarm, multistage STAMPEDE study presented at the ESMO 2018 Congress by lead investigator Chris C. Parker, MD, FRCR, MRCP, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, England. The study was simultaneously published online in Lancet.¹ Read More ›

San Diego, CA—The BCL2 Gly101Val mutation is the first genomic alteration to be identified as responsible for resistance to venetoclax (Venclexta), a potent and effective medication indicated for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The BCL2 Gly101Val mutation is unique to CLL and so far has not been described in other cancers. Read More ›

San Diego, CA—Front-line ibrutinib (Imbruvica) therapy results in a lower rate of disease progression or death than the current standard-of-care chemoimmunotherapy with bendamustine (Bendeka) and rituximab (Rituxan) in older patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Adding rituximab to ibrutinib did not improve outcomes compared with ibrutinib alone, reported Jennifer A. Woyach, MD, Associate Professor, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, at ASH 2018. Read More ›