Immunotherapy

Development of this comprehensive bispecific antibody program included policy development; toxicity management; creation of patient and staff education documents; creation of clinician tools like a toxicity scoring and charting tool and an electronic order set that segregates treatment options; and a monitoring system to safely transition patients from inpatient to outpatient care. 

In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Brittney Baer, BSN, RN, patient care coordinator, immune effector cells, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center about key strategies and solutions to prioritize patient quality of life by addressing barriers to holistic survivorship care. 

Advancements in clinical data and research have shown the immunotherapeutic potential of bispecific antibodies as treatment for hematologic cancers and solid tumors. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Aaron Cumpston, PharmD, pharmacy clinical specialist in hematologic malignancies and bone marrow transplant and Christine Barrett, PharmD, BCOP, medical oncology clinical pharmacy specialist at WVU Cancer Institute who discuss the challenges of care coordination and therapy and share operational best practices for the delivery of bispecific antibodies in the community setting.

Dr. Sanjay Juneja explores how—with many cancers now being treated like a chronic disease—it may be time to cancel the term “a cure for cancer.” 

In this episode, hear from two experts in cancer immunotherapy on the exciting potential of TIL Cell Therapy in melanoma and beyond.

Learn about dermatology’s role in the cancer care continuum and how cancer teams can better integrate dermatology into the immunotherapy care process.

We explore how immunotherapy clinical trials have been affected by the pandemic and what cancer programs can do to safely and effectively administer clinical trials.

Learn about the mental health implications of treatment with cancer immunotherapy, and how cancer care providers can better integrate mental health awareness into the IO care continuum.

We sat down with journalist Mary Elizabeth Williams, one of the first patients treated with combination immunotherapy, to discuss her experience as an IO patient and how to bridge communication gaps among patients, doctors, and researchers.

Learn why a trip to the emergency department is different for patients who receive immunotherapy for cancer, what information helps ED clinicians, and what busy emergency department providers need to know about immune-related adverse events.

Learn about the transition from immunotherapy into post-treatment survivorship, how it differs from chemotherapy, and why coordination and communication among providers, patients, and caregivers is essential.