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September 2020, Vol 10, No 9

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with chemotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) compared with chemotherapy alone as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) whose tumors express PD-L1. Read More ›

Early locoregional therapy with surgery and radiation does not improve overall survival (OS) in women with newly diagnosed stage IV breast cancer and an intact primary tumor compared with systemic therapy alone, according to the results of the randomized ECOG-ACRIN E2108 phase 3 clinical trial. The results were presented by lead investigator Seema A. Khan, MD, FACS, MPH, Co-Leader, Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, at the plenary session of the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting. Read More ›

For decades, healthcare professionals have worked diligently to teach individuals that screening is a valuable tool for preventing and detecting cancer. This has not been an easy mission, and nurses and physicians have had to debunk the myths, bias, and misinformation that deter patients from getting screened annually or according to specific guidelines set forth by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Cancer Society (ACS). Although clinicians have been telling their patients—and the population at large—not to put off cancer screening because it saves lives, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of this year, the dialogue changed. Read More ›

Medical practices entered a strange new world of patient safety requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, and life will never again be the same. Regardless of size or specialty, all medical practices face significant challenges to protect their patients, community, and staff by reducing the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, while simultaneously maintaining their financial viability. Read More ›

As oncology management professionals, the sentiment is never lost that people are our strongest asset. The proficiency of a practice’s front-line staff can affect the efficacy of treatment, support the initiatives of professional organizations, and greatly influence the mood and mindset of patients. Therefore, as we continue to navigate through the ever-changing healthcare environment, it is critical to take the necessary steps to support those who are critical to the care of our patients. Read More ›

Vaping devices, also known as e-cigarettes, are the new epidemic among young people in the United States, according to Nancy Sayegh-Rooney, RN, a lung nurse navigator on Staten Island, NY, and a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist who educates students in middle school and high school about the dangers of vaping. Read More ›

The current state of our nation has resulted in an ever-present focus on the COVID-19 virus. This is fully warranted given its indescribable impact on the psychological, emotional, and financial well-being of individuals and communities worldwide. As our society tunes in daily to a barrage of pandemic casualty data, a number of smokers have expressed increased interest in assistance with smoking cessation. This observation of increased “readiness to quit” is likely influenced by reports concerning patients infected with COVID-19 who smoke having poorer outcomes than those who do not. Read More ›

The 2020 Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Practice Impact report shows that over the past 12 years, there has been an alarming 20.8% increase in community oncology practices merging with hospitals or being acquired by a corporate entity. Since the last COA report issued in 2008, 1748 community oncology clinics and/or practices have been acquired by hospitals, merged with other practices, or reported financial struggles. Read More ›

The small-molecule inhibitor of tyrosine kinase WEE1 adavosertib demonstrated promising clinical activity in a single-arm, phase 2 study of patients with unselected uterine serous cancer (USC), with an objective response rate of 29.4%, said Joyce F. Liu, MD, MPH, Director of Clinical Research, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting. The responses were durable, with a median duration of response of 9.03 months. Read More ›

A novel intratumoral chemotherapy agent delivered by direct injection permits the dispersion of cytotoxic drugs into cancer cells to eradicate tumors. Data from a phase 1/2 trial of intratumoral INT230-6, alone and in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), in patients with advanced solid tumors was presented at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting by Jacob Stephen Thomas, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles. Read More ›

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