December 2014

As one of the most significant predictors of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, the BRCA1/2 genes have become the poster child for genetic testing. In the past 18 months, the floodgates for testing options have opened, as companies seek to enter the diagnostic market in the wake of the US Supreme Court's June 2013 ruling that "naturally occurring" human genes are a "product of nature" and cannot be patented, breaking Myriad Genetics' monopoly on BRCA1/2 gene testing.

Brittany Maynard is now the face of the "right-to- die movement" after the news media began covering her controversial decision to end her life, on her own terms, on November 1, 2014.

Many patients choose not to call their providers, stating their fear of being labeled "drug seeking" or a "wimp," believing that since they were given no refills for their pain medication, the expectation must be that they should not need more when they run out.

In a role that's already multifaceted and growing ever more so, many oncology nurses and navigators are facing a new layer of complexity in their everyday practice.

In September of this year, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced a $2.3 million research grant involving 11 of the nation's leading cancer centers.

What group of our patients is diagnosed with a devastating illness in early childhood which gets increasingly worse with age and leads to debilitating pain which is both chronic and acute in nature?

An increasing focus in oncology care is on survivorship and quality-of-life issues that arise once patients are living beyond treatment. For female breast cancer patients, important survivorship issues include sexual and reproductive health.

Families are communities within themselves-full of intrigue, adventures, worries, joys, and assorted characters.