I hate to criticize oncology nurses. I honestly appreciate the care they have given me and the difficulty of dealing constantly with seriously ill patients. Yet, on a recent hospital stay, my oncology nurses failed me. They treated my physical symptoms but completely left me hanging emotionally.
Each year, a significant number of adolescents and young adults (AYAs), aged 15 to 39 years, are faced with a cancer diagnosis—that’s more than 70,000 in the United States. Although cancer prognosis for AYAs has improved over recent decades, survival rates have not advanced at the same rate as other age groups. To better understand the facts and figures associated with these patients, let’s take a closer look at AYA oncology statistics.
A program conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, improved oncology nurses’ awareness of dyspnea in patients with advanced cancer. Sarah Kang, RN, MSN, described the program at the 37th Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society.
An automated computer-based telephone remote monitoring system with a built-in follow-up component involving nurse practitioners (NPs) appears to be feasible and effective for managing cancer patients’ unrelieved symptoms following chemotherapy. A study presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology showed that use of this system during chemotherapy cut the number of days with severe symptoms by two-thirds and the number of moderate symptom days by half, at the same time increasing the number of asymptomatic days and mild symptom days.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been the subject of some of the most contentious public debate in recent years, but many Americans are still misinformed about all or part of what the legislation entails. Though no law is perfect, the ACA has the potential to expand coverage opportunities and make access to healthcare more effective, particularly for people with cancer.
Educational materials for transplant patients are often too complex for patients to fully comprehend. That’s why oncology nurses at Cedars- Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, decided to produce 2 patient-friendly books that have gotten rave reviews from cancer patients and the whole oncology team.
Consuming red meats prepared at high temperatures, especially pan-fried red meats, may increase the risk of advanced prostate cancer in men by as much as 40%, according to a study by the University of Southern California (USC) and Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC).
The study, which is available online in the journal Carcinogenesis, suggests potent chemical carcinogens formed when meats are cooked at high temperatures impact prostate cancer risk.
Lymphedema causes chronic discomfort for millions of American cancer survivors. Based on a recent review of published literature on lymphedema treatments, a University of Missouri researcher asserts that emphasizing patients’ quality of life rather than focusing only on reducing swelling is key to effectively managing the condition.
Because breast cancer gene status plays a large role in treatment and risk management, breast cancer patients with certain risk factors may benefit from pretest genetic counseling and genetic testing at or near the time of initial diagnosis, suggest Moffitt Cancer Center researchers.
Radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery may help prevent a future mastectomy for the majority of older, early-stage breast cancer patients, according to a study conducted by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and published in the journal Cancer.
The findings are contrary to current national treatment guidelines, which forgo radiation therapy postsurgery and instead recommend that older women with early-stage, estrogen-positive breast cancer be treated with lumpectomy followed by estrogen blocker therapy alone.
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