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Mosunetuzumab plus polatuzumab vedotin increased PFS and response rates vs R-GemOx in transplant-ineligible large B-cell lymphoma.

Mosunetuzumab/Polatuzumab Vedotin Triples PFS in LBCL

At SOHO 2025, Lorenzo Falchi, MD, highlighted the critical role of nurses in monitoring and educating patients on toxicities from novel lymphoma therapies.

Nurses Lead Toxicity Monitoring in Indolent Lymphoma Care

FLAURA2 data show osimertinib plus chemotherapy significantly improves overall survival vs osimertinib alone in frontline EGFR+ advanced NSCLC.

Osimertinib/Chemo Boosts Survival in Frontline EGFR+ NSCLC

Lutetium Li 177 dotatate was linked with partial responses in patients with metastatic bronchopulmonary neuroendocrine tumors, per real-world data.

Lutetium Lu 177 Dotatate Brings Partial Response in Metastatic BP-NETs

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When treating patients with bladder cancer using gemcitabine intravesical system, regular AE monitoring is necessary, said Gary Steinberg, MD.

What Should Nurses Know: Gemcitabine Intravesical System’s Approval

Nicole Ferreira, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, BMTCN, OCN, serves as a nursing professional development specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Transforming Oncology Nurse Education Through Fellowship Programs

Oncology Nursing News connects oncology nurses and APPs with updates on therapy advances, side effect management, and patient-centered cancer care.

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® spoke with Jacki Garcia, RN, BSN, CNRN; and Kristin Hendrickson, BA, RN, to discuss phase 0 trials, also known as window-of-opportunity trials, in neuro-oncology.

Phase 0 trials are designed to identify new drugs capable of slowing tumor progression in patients who face poor prognoses.

 Patients who enroll in a phase 0 trial receive a subtherapeutic dose of an agent prior to undergoing surgery. When the tissue is resected, investigators determine whether the agent penetrated the blood-brain barrier and whether the agent had the anticipated effect. If the agent demonstrates therapeutic effect, patients may be able to continue the treatment going forward. According to Garcia, who is a nurse navigator, and Hendrickson, who is a research program manager, both with the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, phase 0 trials are important because they offer patients with brain tumors another potential treatment option.

The nurses note that despite the prevalence of malignant brain tumors with poor prognoses, such as glioblastoma,

 they are on the frontline of a lot of exciting research efforts, and are optimistic about the trajectory of the treatment paradigm.

“There are long-term survivors out there,” Garcia said. “I have seen them. So, for [individuals] who have a view of this disease is that this as a terminal diagnosis, just know that there is some element of hope out there. “

“Once it has been determined that the patient is a surgical candidate and is being recommended for a phase 0 trial, then the research nurse team has discussions with the patient where we talk about the requirements for the clinical trial. We make sure that they can consent [to] the clinical trial, [that] they meet the inclusion criteria for the trial and do not meet any of the exclusion criteria. We are looking at the whole picture.” 

“There are different courses for each patient, but we want to make sure that they are exploring every avenue possible [to] treat [patients with] this diagnosis.” 

“As an institute, [and] a clinical trials program, we really want to reach underserved populations who may have no knowledge of clinical trials. It is really important that those populations know that there are multiple treatment options to consider so they can make the best-informed decision for themselves and their families.” 

Investigational CAR T Product GD2-CART01 Displays Safety and Efficacy in Pediatric Neuroblastoma

Chemoimmunotherapy Yields Promising Objective Responses in Patients With High-Risk Neuroblastoma

Reirradiation May Play a Role in Recurrent Glioblastoma, Although Optimal Treatment Remains Controversial

Clinical Trials Continue to Propel Field of Oncology with Nurses on The Frontline

Ahulwalia on Targeting the Blood-Brain Barrier With Novel Immunotherapies and Precision Oncology

Kathryn Beal on Aftercare for Patients with Primary Brain Tumors

Anita Mahajan on the Nurse’s Role When Treating Patients with Brain Cancer

A Look Back at 2022 FDA Approvals in Oncology

Focus on ‘A Different Kind of Hope’ in Cancer

Vogelbaum MA, Krivosheya D, Borghei-Razavi H, et al. Phase 0 and window of opportunity clinical trial design in neuro-oncology: a RANO review. 

. 2020;22(11):1568-1579. doi:10.1093/neuonc/noaa149

Siegel, RL, Miller, KD, Wagle, NS, Jemal, A. Cancer statistics, 2023. 

 2023;73(1):17- 48. doi:10.3322/caac.21763

Jacki Garcia, RN, BSN, CNRN; and Kristin Hendrickson, BA, RN, discuss phase 0 trials and how they can help expedite the research process for brain cancer therapies.  

 Jacki Garcia and Kristin Hendrickson on Navigating Patients Through Phase 0 Trials

This Rx Road Map outlines the most important information nurses should know when treating patients with astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with vorasidenib.

Rx Road Map: Vorasidenib for the Treatment of Astrocytoma/Oligodendroglioma

The FDA has granted accelerated approval to dordaviprone for use in adult and pediatric patients with H3 K27M-mutated diffuse midline glioma.

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Dordaviprone for H3 K27M-Mutated Diffuse Glioma

Treatment with Temferon led to prolonged survival and possible disease control in 2 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.

Temferon Shows Early Signs of 3-Year Survival, Disease Control in GBM

The phase 2b SURVIVE trial of SurVaxM in newly diagnosed glioblastoma will continue as planned following an interim review by an independent safety board.

Phase 2B Glioblastoma Vaccine Trial Cleared to Continue

An update to the NCCN guidelines recommends naxitamab-gqgk for adult and pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma.

NCCN Guidelines Now Recommend Naxitamab for High-Risk Neuroblastoma

Kasey Rangan, a nurse practitioner with leadership experience in survivorship and pediatric brain cancer, discusses the level of awareness of life expectations nurses should have to support patients with pediatric glioblastoma or glioma and their familes.

The role of nurses in supporting patients and families through pediatric brain cancer survival

In order for oncology nurses to provide comprehensive support to patients and families going through pediatric brain cancer diagnosis, treatment, or survivorship, they need to understand the reality of what survival looks like for pediatric patients with brain cancer, according to Kasey Rangan, MSN, CPNP-PC, CPHON, a nurse practitioner at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in California.

The expectations for survival in brain cancer can vary widely from case to case. In some cases, survivors of pediatric brain cancers can still suffer from neurocognitive issues and developmental delays or have a shortened life span compared to survivors of other pediatric cancers.

These issues can change the expectations about a child’s life for both the patient and their family. Rangan, a nurse practitioner with close to 30 years of experience in pediatric oncology and 10 in 

, explained that many patients and their families experience grief or PTSD following treatment, especially as they come to understand that what a patient can expect from life may not be what the family envisioned.

 and their support systems largely unaware of the later effects of brain cancer and the way it can change their lives, but nurses also are at times caught off guard by this realization.

As an expert who has worked in survival since 2003, Rangan advised that oncology nurses familiarize themselves with the unique struggles that patients and their families experience after treatment for pediatric brain cancer.

I think 1 of the most common things that a lot of nurses, families, and patients don’t realize is there’s a grieving process that you have to go through with all the losses that go along with a really challenging diagnosis like glioblastoma. A lot of times, if a patient is a survivor, there are significant neurocognitive issues because of the treatment, whether it was from tumor location or the treatments we had to utilize.

With a lot of pediatric cancers, such as solid tumors or leukemias, once a patient is cured, for the most part, they can expect to go on and live a relatively normal lifespan and life, right? Whereas with pediatric neuro-oncology, patients really struggle with loss of cognition and loss of expected development.

Knowing that PTSD is an issue, grieving the loss of a child, either for the parents or for the patient themselves, knowing that their ongoing health struggles are really going to limit them in the way that they can expect their future to be: that’s not across the board, but it is way more prevalent in neuro-oncology, and 1 of the huge barriers in that we cure them, but there’s still a ton of long-term sequelae that really limits their quality of life and life expectancy. And I don’t think a lot of families understand that in the moment. And how can you, because when you’re trying to save a child’s life, you can’t say, “We’re going to do all these things, and if they live, they are going to be dependent on you for the rest of their life. It won’t be what you envisioned for your child when they were born.”

That’s a really hard thing, and nurses can play a good role in helping support the family through that—normalizing the feelings, encouraging the role of therapy and supportive services to kind of help through the continuum, really give them support.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Oncology nurses can help patients and families understand the expectations of pediatric brain cancer survival, says Kasey Rangan, MSN, CPNP-PC, CPHON.

Survivorship

Nurses’ Role in Grief Support for Pediatric Brain Cancer Survival

Health-related quality of life (QOL) is becoming an increasingly important endpoint in cancer clinical trials, explained Giuseppe Lombardi, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist at the Veneto Institute of Oncology in Padua, Italy.

It is important that clinicians can offer patients not only the chance of improved survival, but also to live well in the meantime. This is especially true for patients with glioblastoma, who can have decreased neurologic or physical functioning. To ensure this, cancer treatment centers should assemble multidisciplinary teams that involve psychosocial supports, therapists, and more.

Health-related quality of life (QOL) is becoming an increasingly important endpoint in cancer clinical trials.

Quality of Life Is an Important Endpoint in Cancer Trials

Sandra Ruland, RN, OCN, says she has to strike a delicate balance when talking to patients about how they use the internet to research their cancer.

On the one hand, it's important to keep communication open and to appreciate patients' resourcefulness, said Ruland, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) program nurse at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

On the other hand, the internet can be a scary place for newly diagnosed patients. What they find there can depress their mood, which can affect their treatment.

Further, she said, people with cancer can come in with alternative treatment options that just aren't a good idea. In that case, she says she refers them to people at Dana-Farber who specials in safe non-standard approaches.

Sandra Ruland on the Perils of the Web for Patients With Cancer

Krista Qualmann, MS, CGC, Memorial Hermann Mischer Neuroscience Institute at the Texas Medical Center and UTHealth, discusses hereditary cancer syndromes.

About 5% to 10% of cancers are caused by single-gene disorders. These hereditary cancer syndromes are most well-known for causing cancers such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. They can also have a hand in colon cancer, brain tumors and melanoma.

Krista Qualmann discusses hereditary cancer syndromes. 

Genetics

Krista Qualmann on Genetic Counseling and Testing for Patients with Cancer

Anita Mahajan, MD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, explains what nurses should focus on when educating patients with brain cancer.

Being aware of symptoms and able to explain the symptoms to patients is important. If patients understand the side effects, it can alleviate some of the anxiety that comes with them. Nurses should also know who to contact and refer patients to for certain symptoms. Nurses are also an integral part of reinforcing the reminders for lifestyle changes and medication.

Anita Mahajan discusses the important points that nurses should include in their patient education for patients with brain cancer.

Anita Mahajan on Patient Education for Patients with Brain Cancer

Ranjit Bindra, MD, PhD, from Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale explains the importance of communicating honestly and sensitively with parents when treating pediatric patients.

In pediatric oncology, nurses have to treat both the patient and the family. This requires a delicate balance that allows the parents to be hopeful and engaged, but realistic. Bindra highlights the importance of revising communication in relation to the patient's status.

Dr. Ranji Bindra explains the delicate balance that must go into treating the parents of patients in pediatric oncology.

Ranjit Bindra on Navigating Dynamics with Parents in Pediatric Oncology

Kathryn Beal, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses aftercare for patients who have undergone combination therapy for primary brain tumors.

Side effects from radiation therapy can include fatigue, neurological symptoms, and edema. When radiation is combined with immunotherapy treatments, the standard radiation side effects can be exacerbated. There are also side effects that are unique to immunotherapy

Kathryn Beal discusses what aftercare looks like for patients with primary brain tumors who have recieved a combination of radiation treatment and chemotherapy.

Anita Mahajan, MD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses how the oncology nurse can help put patients with brain cancer at ease.

Mahajan conducted a study on patients who received postoperative stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases. She discusses some anxieties patients with brain cancer undergoing radiation therapy may have, and how an oncology nurse can reassure patients.

Anita Mahajan, MD, discusses the oncology nurse's role when treating patients with brain cancer.

Anita Mahajan on the Nurse's Role When Treating Patients with Brain Cancer

Why is it so important to support CBTF's research and programs? Watch this video featuring families, survivors, and some of our greatest supporters to find out why.

Children's Brain Tumor Foundation explains the importance of their research and programs.

Brain Cancer

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