It is my pleasure and honor to serve you as the new Editor-in-Chief of JADPRO. I am humbled to take over for Pamela Hallquist Viale, RN, MS, CNS, ANP, a good friend and colleague of mine.
Since 2010, I have had the good fortune of being involved as an author and peer reviewer for JADPRO and have partnered with editorial board members on various projects throughout these years. I look forward to continuing JADPRO’s mission of improving the quality of care for patients with cancer by supporting critical issues in advanced practice in oncology and recognizing the expanding contributions of advanced practitioners in oncology.
A little about myself: With this Editor-in-Chief position, I bring 26 years of oncology nursing experience and 18 years of experience as a nurse practitioner in oncology. My current clinical and research responsibilities focus on blood cancers and plasma cell disorders, but I have remained well-informed on cancer updates and important issues by reading JADPRO. I am passionate about developing educational programs, conducting research, and writing scientific articles that bring new knowledge to advanced practitioners, patients, and the medical community. In my spare time, I enjoy exercising, cooking new healthy recipes, and spending time with my 10-year-old son, 2-year-old Yorkshire terrier, and husband, Matt.
I am very excited to embark on this journey with all of you. I sincerely appreciate this opportunity. Now, on to the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific program abstracts!
ASCO20 VIRTUAL SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM
Welcome to our special issue on highlights from the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Annual Meeting, which was ASCO’s first-ever virtual meeting. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program took place from May 29 through May 31, connecting more than 42,700 oncology professionals from around the world to discuss advancements in cancer research.
Although the meeting has dozens of presentations to learn from, we’ve chosen to focus on some of the more relevant presentations to our role as advanced practitioners, along with commentary from our peers who work in the respective specialties featured in this issue.
NOTABLE RESEARCH STUDIES
In the new virtual format, important results from clinical trials in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies were reported. Nearly 5,300 abstracts were available to view. Researchers presented important continued updates on immunotherapies and targeted therapies for lung, colorectal, ovarian, and bladder cancers. Access to care and the impact of COVID-19 on people with cancer were discussed as well.
Of note, Fares and colleagues conducted a large international study with over 35,000 patients with lung cancer. The results demonstrated that people who quit smoking at any time—even 2 years before a lung cancer diagnosis—improve their chances of survival after being diagnosed with the disease. This is important information for those who may think that quitting will have no impact on their outcomes down the line.
Policy issues were also highlighted in the ASCO virtual program. In particular, the results of a study by Lee and colleagues showed that in states that adopted Medicaid expansion after passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, there was a decline in cancer mortality rates by 29% compared with 25% in states that did not expand access to Medicaid.
The meeting theme, “Unite and Conquer: Accelerating Progress Together,” reflected the collaborative and multidisciplinary approach that is needed in cancer care. It is a theme that we are familiar with—the necessity of bringing all members of the care team together to help improve outcomes for our patients.
PERSPECTIVES BY ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS
Oncology advanced practitioners are constantly inundated with new information. We try to include the most important cancer advances at our JADPRO Live meeting, and educate the advanced practitioner in the way you practice, with a multidisciplinary team approach. But we know that many of you follow ASCO’s meeting closely. In this special issue of JADPRO, we’ve brought some of the most important research presented at the meeting to you, helping to translate some of that research into strategies that will benefit your practice. Learning the latest research results is critical to practice, but as an advanced practitioner, you also bring the uniqueness of your role as a provider to your patients. By including commentary by advanced practitioners, we’re hoping you find additional value in this issue, for you and for your patients.