August 2021 Vol 7 No 4

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor Dan Dean spoke with several experts about the advances in genomic testing, which have enabled oncologists to treat patients with new “targeted therapies” that fight cancer based on the specific features of a tumor.

Kimberley Norris uses her experience as her husband’s bedside advocate to describe what it means to be a bedside advocate, providing physicians’ practical tips for people who are in a similar situation.

Amanda Rice was 37 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time. She describes her decision to freeze her eggs after her diagnosis, which led her to launch the nonprofit organization The Chick Mission to educate women on the impact of cancer treatment on becoming mothers.

As a palliative care nurse, Amy Velasquez knows what it means to take care of patients and their families dealing with real pain and suffering. Here, Amy unravels her experience caring for her mom, who tested positive for COVID-19 in October 2020.

In late May 2021, the FDA approved Truseltiq (infigratinib), a new targeted therapy, for adults with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma and FGFR2 fusion or other rearrangement, as detected by an FDA-approved test.

Sheryl Gundersen, who worked as a software sales professional for 35 years, became an expert in interpreting her customers’ body language. In this article, she describes how she used these skills in her personal journey with breast cancer while facing people wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2021, the FDA approved a new indication for Darzalex Faspro (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj), for use in combination with Pomalyst (pomalidomide) and dexamethasone, for adults with multiple myeloma who have received at least 1 previous line of therapy.

Nobody told Donna Avery that esophageal cancer is often fatal when diagnosed at a late stage. Now 7 years after her diagnosis, she chronicles her experience with radiation and dealing with this rare cancer, which accounts for only 1% of all new cancer diagnoses in the United States.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of constant stress for many people, especially for patients with cancer, who have had to deal with the added burdens, delays, and disruptions caused by this worldwide phenomenon affecting all facets of our lives.