ONS Connect - July 2008 - (Page 7)

to prefer more aggressive end-of-life care, but they speculated that it may be based on cultural attitudes, religious beliefs, and how thoroughly they have been informed about and comprehend their prognosis, among other things. Trice, E.D., Paulk, E., Milsson, M.E., Wright, A.A., Balboni, T., Viswanath, K., et al. (2008, May). Understanding the role of ethnic status in intensive care unit (ICU) deaths among advanced cancer patients [Abstract 6506]. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Chicago, IL. Survivors of Childhood Cancer may have higher risk for heart Disease C hildhood cancer survivors are 5–10 times more likely than their healthy siblings to develop heart disease in early adulthood, according to new findings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. The incidence of heart disease detected five or more years after cancer diagnosis was compared among 14,358 survivors of childhood or adolescent cancers who were originally diagnosed from 1970–1986 and 3,899 of their siblings. Researchers identified a higher incidence of a variety of cardiac conditions among survivors when compared to their siblings, including atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, pericardial disease, and valvular disease. The risks of various types of heart disease were two to five times greater in survivors who had anthracycline drugs (such as doxorubicin) or radiation therapy to the heart as part of their cancer treatment. Although the overall risk of heart problems among survivors was significantly higher than normal, the incidence of disease 30 years after diagnosis was low overall: 4% developed congestive heart failure, 4% had valvular heart dis- ease, 3% developed pericardial disease, 2% had hardening of the arteries, and 1% experienced a heart attack. Mulrooney, D.A., Yeazel, M., Mitby, P., Kawashima, T., Leisenring, W.M., & Stovall, M. (2008, May). Cardiovascular disease in adult survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) [Abstract 9509]. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Chicago, IL. Chemotherapy Every Two weeks may Be Effective for Ewing Sarcoma I nvestigators from the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) have found that giving combination chemotherapy every two weeks is more effective than the same therapy given every three weeks in patients with Ewing sarcoma, without increasing side effects. Researchers believe that these findings are convincing enough to change the standard of care for patients with the disease. Patients at 160 COG institutions were younger than 50 and had not yet had chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Primary treatment began 13 weeks after chemotherapy was initiated. Event-free survival was compared between 284 patients who received chemotherapy every two weeks and 284 who received the same regimen every three weeks. Patients in both groups received a total of 14 cycles of chemotherapy. After a median follow-up of three years, event-free survival was 76% among the patients who received chemotherapy every other week compared with 65% among those who received chemotherapy every three weeks. The incidence and severity of side effects remained similar between the two groups. Womer, R.B., West, D.C., Krailo, M.D., Dickman, P.S., & Pawel, B. (2008, May). Randomized comparison of every-two-week vs. every-threeweek chemotherapy in Ewing sarcoma family tumors (ESFT) [Abstract 10504]. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Chicago, IL. Contributing Editor Deborah McBride, RN, MSN, CPON ®, is a nurse at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center and a faculty member at Samuel Merritt College in Oakland, CA. July 2008 ONS CONNECT 7

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ONS Connect - July 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Technologic Advancements in Cancer Care A Year in the Life - Month Seven Web Connect Capitol Connection Notice Nursing Now Caregiver Care Computerized System Standardizes Symptom Assessment and Management Nanotechnology Treats Cancer at the Atomic Level Rise in Mastectomies May Be Linked to Increased Use of MRI Detection Working for You Calendar of Events Staying on Top

ONS Connect - July 2008

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