Sumanta K. Pal on the Role of Nurses in the Shifting Paradigm of Cancer Treatment

Sumanta K. Pal, MD, City of Hope Cancer Center, discusses the role that nurses will play in the shifting paradigm of cancer treatment.

As immunotherapy continues to become a more popular form of treatment, it is important that nurses act as the first line of communication between the patient and the rest of the healthcare team.

Unlike the side effects of chemotherapy, which tend to appear early in treatment, side effects for immunotherapy may not show up for a number of weeks. Nurses must monitor these side effects and work with physicians to manage them, before they evolve into more serious toxicities.