All Articles

The primary reason that nurses cite for not approaching the topic of sexual health with their patients is lack of knowledge. At the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) 44th Annual Congress, Lisa Chism, DNP, APRN, NCMP, FAANP, Clinical Director, Women’s Wellness Clinic, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, set out to change that by arming oncology nurses with enough knowledge to broach the subject confidently with their female patients. Read More ›

Still waters run deep. While cancer centers and practices continue to navigate the highly visible challenges of operations, reimbursement, and competition, as well as Medicare and private payer relationships, other potential hazards may be lurking just out of sight. This article discusses 3 areas where activity in your local market could suddenly surface and completely change the environment in which you provide care. Read More ›

Patients can be taught via neurofeedback to modify their brainwave activity and decrease the sensations of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), according to Sarah Prinsloo, PhD, LMFT, LPC, Assistant Professor, Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, Division of Cancer Medicine, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. Read More ›

Alterations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)2 gene have been identified as driver mutations in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Durable objective responses were observed in >33% of patients with locally advanced or metastatic CCA and FGFR2 rearrangements or fusions who received treatment with pemigatinib, a selective oral inhibitor of FGFR1, FGFR2, and FGFR3. Data from the single-arm, open-label phase 2 clinical trial FIGHT-202, which was presented at the ESMO Congress 2019, revealed that investigational pemigatinib induced a response in 35.5% of the 107 patients with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements (cohort A), with a median duration of response of 7.5 months. Read More ›

Ivosidenib (Tibsovo), an oral therapy that targets isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutation, significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and an IDH1 mutation, in a phase 3 clinical trial reported lead investigator Ghassan K. Abou­Alfa, MD, Medical Oncologist, Gastrointestinal Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, at the ESMO Congress 2019. Read More ›

Results of the new clinical trial RADICALS-RT indicate that using salvage radiotherapy immediately after surgery leads to equivalent outcomes in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) versus adjuvant radiotherapy in men with prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy. These late-breaking results were presented at the ESMO Congress 2019 by lead investigator Chris Parker, MD, FRCR, MRCP, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Cancer Research, London, England. Read More ›

Treatment with ceritinib (Zykadia) led to excellent responses in patients with ALK-positive non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and brain metastases, according to results of the ASCEND-7 clinical trial, which enrolled only patients with ALK-positive NSCLC with newly diagnosed or progressive brain metastases. Read More ›

The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) delayed disease progression and showed a trend toward improved survival compared with newer hormonal agents in men with pretreated metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and homologous recombinant repair (HRR) gene mutations or with BRCA1, BRCA2, and ATM mutations. Results of this late-breaker were reported at the ESMO Congress 2019 during the presidential session. Read More ›

Orlando, FL—Today’s patient with cancer is concerned with more than just cell counts. These patients want to discuss topics such as parenting, financial toxicity, and sex and intimacy, according to Laura Holmes Haddad, author of This Is Cancer, and a cancer survivor. Read More ›

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition has an established role as maintenance therapy in women with newly diagnosed high-grade advanced ovarian cancer and a BRCA mutation. At the ESMO Congress 2019, results of 3 clinical trials expand the use of PARP inhibition in ovarian cancer to all patients. The 3 studies had different enrollment criteria, used a different PARP inhibitor, and 2 of them used PARP inhibitor plus bevacizumab (Avastin); however, taken together, all 3 trials show that the PARP inhibition era is here. Read More ›