News

Recent progress made with messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines has led to amplified protein translation, stronger modulation of immunogenicity, and improved delivery, which has all contributed to an evolution in the application of these products in the field of cancer.

The FDA has granted tepotinib (Tepmetko) accelerated approval for the treatment of adults with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with MET exon 14-skipping alterations, according to the FDA.

Combinations of JAK inhibitors and novel agents, such as epigenetic regulators, could help prolong survival in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Cancer screening has decreased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the NCCN, ACS, and other leading organizations say that it should resume.

Each month, we take a look back at the most popular Oncology Nursing News® stories. Here are the top 5 stories from January 2021.

Although survivors and patients with lung cancer felt that they were involved in the treatment decision-making process, nearly half of them reported that they knew what their treatment options were before making a decision, according to results from a study presented at the 2020 World Conference on Lung Cancer Singapore.

A virtual prehabilitaiton program improved patient outcomes before they underwent lung cancer surgery.

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who experience immune-related adverse events (irAEs) may have better survival outcomes than those without irAEs.

We gathered content on COVID-19 vaccination, and what it means for oncology nurses and the patients they treat.

A shorter course of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has been shown to have encouraging efficacy with favorable toxicity when used in patients with high-risk prostate cancer in a multi-institutional, international setting, according to findings from a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.

The FDA has granted the cell-based, off-the-shelf immune primer ilixadencel an orphan drug designation for use as a treatment option in patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS), according to an announcement from Immunicum AB.

The FDA has granted toripalimab a fast track designation for use in the frontline treatment of patients with mucosal melanoma, according to an announcement from Junshi Biosciences, the drug developer.

Nearly 20% of patients with cancer engaged in nonmedical opioid use, but oncology nurses can help prevent this from happening.

Although lung-sparing lung nodule resection in the form of lesser resection is available to some patients with lung cancer, it is critical to tailor surgical interventions based on pathologic assessment results, said Henning Gaissert, MD, who added that utilizing a multimodal approach to treatment can help alleviate some of the burden of treatment selection.

The radiographic and pathologic responses that have been seen with checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer bodes well for the use of neoadjuvant therapy. However, the relationship between response and long-term outcomes, specifically with regard to overall survival, will have to be teased out before they become standard practice, explained David Spigel, MD.

The FDA has granted priority review to a biologics license application (BLA) for retifanlimab (INCMGA 0012) for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCAC) who were intolerant of or who had progressed on platinum-based chemotherapy.

The FDA approved cabozantinib (Cabometyx) plus nivolumab (Opdivo) for the frontline treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) today release guidance for COVID-19 vaccinations in patients with cancer.

Findings of an epidemiological study show that regular aspirin use could boost survival in older patients with breast and bladder cancers, but more research is still needed.

Vaccine rollout continues to be slow, so social distancing and mask wearing should remain common practice, nurses say.

The FDA has granted a priority review to a supplemental biologics license application for nivolumab (Opdivo) in combination with a fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for use in patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, or esophageal adenocarcinoma.

The wrath of the pandemic swept through our nation and continues to run rampant, testing our resiliency as nurses. Nurse leaders, we must continue to lead by example and remain a united front with our team.

The FDA has granted a fast track designation to padeliporfin Immune Photo Activated Cancer Therapy (ImPACT) for use in the treatment of patients with low-grade and unifocal upper-tract urothelial cancer (UTUC), according to an announcement from Steba Biotech.

We spoke with a group of oncology nurses about the questions that patients are asking regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

Mean daily step count during the first 2 weeks of treatment with SM-88 (racemetyrosine) was found to correlate with overall self-reported quality of life (QoL) in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Survival for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) remains poor, and although immunotherapy has been positioned as a holy grail, it would be preemptive to predict its future based on the number of small studies that have been performed to date, according to Amer Zeidan, MD, MHS.

An artificial-intelligence based tool helped patients find and understand clinical trials, which could eventually lead to more diverse trial populations.

The FDA approved fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER2-postive gastric or gastroesophageal (GEJ) adenocarcinoma who previously received a trastuzumab-based regimen.

Findings from an analysis determined that stage 4 gastrointestinal stromal tumors were rare and led to hepatic metastases, although overall survival was up to 51% at 5 years.

The FDA has approved crizotinib for the treatment of pediatric patients 1 year of age and older and young adults with ALK-positive relapsed or refractory, systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma.