Category: oncology
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Breast Cancer Awareness Month and High Risk Screening
Breast Cancer Awareness Month continues through the month of October! Do you know someone who has been affected by breast cancer? Not only do I take care of patients who have breast cancer, but I have many family members who have been impacted by this disease. Personally, I fall into a high risk category, which…
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Using AI to Predict Pneumonitis Risk in Lung Cancer Patients
This is pretty cool- researchers found that AI could do a darn good job of predicting who might develop pneumonitis. This was among non-small cell lung cancer patients who were receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. A bit of background info: Pneumonitis is when lung tissue becomes inflamed and it can make it very difficult to breathe.…
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Oncology Hot Topics-What is BiTE Therapy?
BiTE therapy is becoming more widely used, especially with blood cancers (think things like leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma). It can also be used with certain solid tumors (such as lung cancer). BiTE stands for bispecific antibody therapy. These types of treatments are also known simply as “bispecifics.” While there are different forms of these…
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Poor Air Quality? Here’s 10 Ways to Cope
It’s important for anyone going through treatment, but it’s important for the rest of us, too. People at higher risk for being more sensitive to poor air quality days include the elderly, those with asthma, COPD, or other lung disease, cancer survivors, and anyone with heart disease. Poor air quality can come from things like…
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Infusion Center Questions: “What If I React?”
It’s a question I hear pretty often. “What if I react to my infusion?” Whether it’s an iron infusion, a chemotherapy infusion, or one of the other infusions we give, it’s a valid question. What happens next? Here’s a brief overview of what your nurse will do if you react to your infusion: As soon…
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3 Cancer Breakthroughs from ASCO 2026 That Could Change Patient Care
And What is ASCO Anyway??? (It’s the American Society of Clinical Oncology.) 1. A New Targeted Drug Doubled Survival in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer This one is exciting. One of the most talked-about presentations at ASCO 2026 involved the investigational drug daraxonrasib for advanced pancreatic cancer. Researchers have been trying to find something that would block…
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GLP-1 RAs and HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer
Some pretty exciting research has come about regarding GLP-1 receptor agonists (think drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy). Researchers studying large populations of women found that GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with a lower incidence of HR+/HER2− breast cancer, improved overall survival, and lower recurrence rates within certain breast cancer populations. GLP-1 stands for “glucagon-like peptide-1”…
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Supporting Your Loved One With Cancer
It can be hard to know how to help someone who is going through cancer. You want to help, but may struggle with what words to say or what to do. It is natural to want to ask, “What can I do to help?” However, many patients might not be able to communicate their needs.…
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Metastatic Lung Cancer- Why Aren’t More People Getting Treated? (And what we can do about it).
Recently, a disheartening study from JAMA Oncology came out, showing that less than half of all people with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer receive treatment. This is despite there being many options available which can increase life expectancy by years. The study looked at over 250,000 people over a 15-year period. So why aren’t people…
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3 Things I Tell Patients to Bring to Chemo
If you or someone you know is starting chemo, this one’s for you. People don’t always know what to bring. Here are the 3 things I tell people to bring along, especially for their first day and if they are going to be there a long day of treatment: #1 A blanket or hoodie Bring…
