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Oncology Nursing Society’s Annual Meeting (ONS)

Patients with lung cancer are increasingly receiving targeted therapies that induce complete disease remissions, but they can also develop resistance to these drugs. New efforts are now underway to discover and develop new options for patients experiencing drug resistance.

New treatment options for melanoma continue to be developed, especially in the areas of immunotherapies and targeted agents. Oncology nurses need to be knowledgeable about the various therapies being used, indication for use, and the management of adverse events.

Oncolytic viruses are receiving more attention these days as a form of cancer treatment, and have shown promise in clinical trials. These viruses are thought not only to cause direct destruction of the tumor cells, but also to stimulate a patient's immune response.

According to a recent study, 89% of patients would be willing to use hypnosis to control side effects associated with cancer treatment. So, if patient are willing to try this, why are we not utilizing this kind of therapy more often? Myths associated with hypnosis are generally the reason.

Oncology nurses from a community hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio implemented a two-pronged process for the safe handling of chemotherapy, improving nurses’ satisfaction and comfort levels regarding chemotherapy safety.

A team of nurses and physicians from Huntsman Cancer Institute successfully implemented key changes in their Patient Acute Change Team that increased nurse involvement and reduced the number of codes by 90% in the outpatient setting since they were put in place 2 years ago.