Navigation Program Increases Uptake of Lung Cancer Screening and Facilitates Follow-Up
April 29th 2015A nurse navigator–led program aimed at improving awareness, access, and uptake of low-dose CT screening for individuals at high risk of lung cancer resulted in improved screening rates with the potential to improve patient outcomes by catching the disease at its earliest stages.
"Welcome to the Walk-through Colon" and Other GI Navigation Success Stories
April 27th 2015Oncology nurse navigators are known for identifying gaps in cancer care, being proactive in setting goals to address them, and designing specific interventions that lead not only to better-and measurable-outcomes but also to increased patient satisfaction.
Join the Conversation: Using Social Media to Enhance Your Practice
April 25th 2015Do social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook represent an opportunity for oncology nurses to network and keep up with the latest in evidence-based practice, or are they a time-sucking nuisance, and even worse, a possible professional landmine?
Early Warning Scorecard Helps Identify Signs of Patient Deterioration in Oncology
April 24th 2015Using a color-coded, pocket-sized early warning scorecard has the potential to help nurses and other clinicians assess when cancer patients are deteriorating, and it's an intervention that could help avoid acute hospitalizations and even save lives, according to two clinical nurse specialists from Johns Hopkins who shared their experience with piloting an early warning tool.
HPV Vaccine Effective in Women With Prior Exposure to the Virus
April 21st 2015Newly reported findings from a randomized phase III vaccine efficacy trial demonstrate that HPV vaccination may offer protection against HPV-related cancers across multiple tumor sites in women aged 18-25 who had been previously exposed to the human papillomavirus, with the vaccine effective in more than half of these women.
Professional Groups Unite to Make Safe Chemo Handling a Priority in Practice
March 24th 2015Big changes are ahead for oncology nurses and other healthcare professionals who prepare and administer hazardous drugs, as new regulations for safe handling are being finalized by the US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP).
FDA Safety Alert Warns Against Use of Treanda with CSTDs
March 11th 2015The FDA has issued a safety advisory warning healthcare professionals not to use Treanda (bendamustine HCl) Injection with closed system transfer devices (CSTDs), adapters, and syringes containing polycarbonate or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).
For Some With Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer, Active Surveillance May Not Be Enough
February 23rd 2015The risk of dying from prostate cancer increased fourfold when active surveillance was used to monitor men with intermediate-risk disease compared with low-risk prostate cancer patients, according to results of a new study, the first to examine long-term outcomes of patients with low- versus intermediate-risk prostate cancer who have been managed with this conservative approach to care.
Physicians Less Likely to Report Cancer Treatment Toxicities Than Their Patients
February 19th 2015A study involving more than 1000 patients enrolled in randomized clinical trials has found that patient and physician assessment of treatment toxicities can vary greatly, and they are frequently under-reported by physicians.
New Medicare Payment Model to Reward Coordinated, Patient-Centered Cancer Care
February 18th 2015The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a new initiative which it hopes will improve the coordination and quality of cancer care for Medicare patients with cancer while also reducing costs.
Survivors Often Face Lingering Problems Long After Treatment, Survey Finds
January 20th 2015With the number of cancer survivors expected to reach 19 million by 2024, how these individuals fare long-term is an issue of ongoing interest and concern. An analysis of findings from a large survey of survivors conducted by the American Cancer Society (ACS) has found that many survivors continue to face physical, mental, and financial difficulties long after their treatment ends.
Vitamin D Demonstrates Multiple Benefits for Patients With mCRC
January 12th 2015Patients with newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who had higher levels of vitamin D in their blood lived a median of 8 months longer and experienced greater disease-free survival after their cancer treatment
Nutrition Intervention May Improve Survival in Women With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
December 12th 2014Findings from a long-term analysis of the Women's Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS) show that the deaths of women with hormone receptor–negative breast cancers were reduced by up to 54% when they followed a program to reduce their dietary fat intake, which could provide benefit for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
Tamoxifen's Preventive Benefits Sustained but Drug Still Underutilized in Practice
December 11th 2014Five years of tamoxifen continues to offer protection against breast cancer, reducing the risk of breast cancer by 29% in otherwise healthy women at high risk of the disease who have been followed now for 16 to 22 years.
Study Shows Over-the-Phone Genetic Counseling Is Effective
December 11th 2014For individuals living in rural areas, getting a genetic test can impose its own set of barriers, like multiple long trips for counseling, testing, and follow-up. However, findings of a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute have shown that telephone counseling was just as effective as in-person counseling in many respects.
Radiotherapy Prevalent in Older Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer Despite Limited Benefit
December 9th 2014Despite research findings that toxicities outweigh benefits when women over the age of 70 are treated with radiation for their early-stage breast cancer, the treatment remains commonplace 10 years later, a new study has found.
For Patients With Inoperable Stage I NSCLC, Race, Hospital, and Insurance Status Matter
December 2nd 2014Despite the proven benefits of SBRT for patients with inoperable stage I NSCLC, whether such patients are offered it depends on their race, insurance status, and the type of facility where they are being treated.
Studies Forecast More CRC in Young Adults and Find Higher Mortality Among the Least Educated
November 20th 2014Findings from two studies are shining a light on demographic and socioeconomic factors impacting who will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC), who is more likely to die from it, and what preventive measures might make a difference.