October 2019, Vol 9, No 10

Although our top priority is to provide high-quality care, we often encounter barriers and hurdles that can affect where, when, and how we interact with our patients and staff. Given the increased focus on the acquisition, handling, preparation, and administration of drugs in medical practices—especially oncology practices—we are now being challenged with existing and emerging restrictions and expectations, which are continually in a state of transition. In this article, I want to share 3 important tips that will help you be more prepared and protected this fall. Read Article ›

People who are less engaged in their own medical care have more negative health consequences, including higher readmission rates, poor care coordination, and less confidence. It is therefore imperative to keep patients engaged in their own healthcare, and current technology plays an important role in achieving this goal, according to Sangeeta Agarawal, RN, CAS, MS, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Helpsy Health, San Francisco, CA. Read Article ›

BLU-667, a novel inhibitor of RET, elicited responses in more than 50% of patients with RET fusion–positive advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data from an ongoing phase 1 clinical trial presented at ASCO 2019. Read Article ›

Tumor-specific antigens provide personalized targets for immunotherapy. Neoantigen vaccines are a new type of immunotherapy that can elicit immune response and achieve remission. Evidence is compelling to support neoantigens as the target of effective immune responses against cancer and to support an association between neoantigen load with improved clinical outcome, said Patrick Alexander Ott, MD, PhD, Clinical Director, Center for Immuno-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, at ASCO 2019. Read Article ›

High-grade gliomas harboring the histone 3 (H3) K27M mutation are lethal brain tumors associated with a poor prognosis. At the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, results from a clinical trial showed that treatment with ONC201, a unique, small molecule DRD2 antagonist, resulted in durable tumor regression in adults with recurrent high-grade H3 K27M-mutant gliomas. Read Article ›

Approximately 25% of children, adolescents, and young adults with advanced cancer were eligible for a targeted therapy after genotyping of their tumors in the Pediatric Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (MATCH) clinical trial. That rate is more than double the 10% that researchers had projected. Read Article ›

The speed at which the genetics revolution has propelled forward in oncology has created enormous ramifications and unanticipated challenges, according to Suzanne Mahon, RN, DNSc, AOCN, AGN-BC, CNS, Professor, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University, MO. Read Article ›

On August 16, 2019, the FDA approved fedratinib (Inrebic; Celgene) for the treatment of patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk primary or secondary (post–polycythemia vera or post–essential thrombocythemia) myelofibrosis. Read Article ›