May 2013

Performing frequent assessments and assisting with hygiene is vital to preserving and improving quality of life.

More and more, as the use of maintenance therapy increases, oncology nurses are tasked with monitoring how the strategy is working for specific patients.

Although the number of survivors is impressive, survivorship also brings challenges, as many cancer survivors experience long-term physical and psychosocial effects of the disease and its treatment.

Rebecca Kronk, PhD, CRNP, MSN, writes about evidence recognizing sleep disturbances and fatigue as common occurrences in children with cancer during treatment, after treatment, and in long-term survivors.

The decision about whether to get tested for a genetic mutation that may predispose a person to certain cancers is a difficult one for many patients to make. Even more difficult for mutation carriers is deciding whether to undergo a prophylactic surgical procedure.

Amy Hoffman, MSN, PhD, RN, from Michigan State University's College of Nursing, offers practical tips to help initiate a regular exercise strategy for cancer patients and survivors.