CURE staff

The journey that led to the creation of the Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing began with a simple, yet profound, observation: © stock.adobe.com.

The journey that led to the creation of the Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing began with a simple, yet profound, observation: the remarkable difference that exceptional nurses and advanced practice providers make in the lives of those facing cancer. In the challenging and often emotionally charged environment of oncology, these individuals are more than just caregivers; they are beacons of hope, sources of strength and unwavering pillars of support.

We recognized that their contributions often extend far beyond the realm of clinical expertise. They provide comfort during moments of fear, offer guidance during times of uncertainty and celebrate every victory, no matter how small. They are the ones who hold a patient’s hand during difficult treatments, who listen with empathy to the concerns of worried families and who tirelessly advocate for the best possible care.

 have hosted the Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing, which gives people — patients, caregivers, families, colleagues and doctors, to name a few — the opportunity to recognize and honor the oncology nurses who have made a significant impact on their life.

Oncology nurses have an innate ability to see a patient beyond their diagnosis and to help them physically and emotionally.

“[Her] compassion is unmatched, and she always goes above and beyond, a nominator wrote about her colleague. “It is not just about the cancer or the patient’s treatment; it is about the person and seeing their smiles through often-sad times.”

The passion that oncology nurses give to caring for their patients is often done as a selfless act.

“She does not look for credit or brag about her work, nor does she just sit back and enjoy her success,” a colleague described in their nominating essay. “[She] lives in the struggle that is oncology nursing and bears the weight of responsibility for patients on her shoulders. As a mentor, she is a true example of what it means to coordinate patient care.”

Even when patients are facing a cancer diagnosis, nurses step up to help them even when all of the information they are receiving is a lot to process.

“This patient ... was understandably overwhelmed by his diagnosis and uncertain about his future,” a nominator wrote about their colleague. “[She] spent hours with him, carefully explaining his diagnosis, offering emotional support and answering his questions. She went above and beyond by connecting him with other patients with pancreatic cancer who shared their experiences. ... Through these conversations and her guidance, [she] helped him to realize that he wasn’t just another statistic. She helped him find hope and a plan.”

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Extraordinary Healers whose stories are shared here, and to all the nurses and advanced practice providers who dedicate themselves to providing exceptional oncology care.

Articles

The Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing was established to honor the profound impact of exceptional oncology nurses and advanced practice providers. These professionals go beyond clinical duties, offering emotional support, guidance, and advocacy for patients and their families. Celebrating its 19th year, the award allows patients, caregivers, and colleagues to recognize nurses who significantly impact lives. Oncology nurses are praised for their compassion, selflessness, and dedication, often providing hope and personalized care to patients overwhelmed by their cancer diagnoses.

The journey that led to the creation of the Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing began with a simple, yet profound, observation.

Illuminating Compassion in Cancer Care

At the CURE Educated Patient® Breast Cancer Summit, held live and virtually at the Miami Breast Cancer Conference, Dr. Anne O'Dea, medical director of breast cancer survivorship at the University of Kansas Medical Center, presented the keynote lecture, titled “A new era in the treatment of ER+, HER2- Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer: targeting ESR1 mutations.”

Educated Patient® Breast Cancer Summit at the Miami Breast Cancer Conference, held March 4, 2023.

In particular, O’Dea discusses the need for new endocrine therapies to treat estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as well as results from the EMERAL trial, that led to the Food and Drug Administration approval of elacestrant (Orserdu) in this patient population.

 O’Dea is a consultant and/or speaker for Gilead, DSI, Puma, Pfizer, Novartis and Stemline.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to 

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Watch Dr. Anne O'Dea, from University of Kansas Medical Center, discuss targeting ESR1 mutations during the CURE Educated Patient® Breast Cancer Summit at MBCC.

Educated Patient® Breast Cancer Summit at MBCC Keynote Presentation: March 4, 2023

Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber, and they offer many protective health benefits to cancer survivors.

Summer is a great time of year to find fruits and vegetables in their prime, making recipes even more delicious and nutritious.

As part of its Heal at Home series, CURE® and its sister publication Heal® worked with registered dietitian Rachel Wong, of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, D.C., to compile multiple recipes for our readers.

From a tasty guacamole to a delicious chimichurri, below is a step-by-step guide to create these nutrient-packed sauces and dips that are sure to complement any dish this summer.

This take it easy tahini dressing with Mediterranean flair is great on salads, sandwiches, falafel pita, roasted vegetables and so much more.

This dressing with Mediterranean flair is great on salads, sandwiches, falafel pita, roasted vegetables and so much more.

Recipe adapted from themediterraneandish.com

1 to 2 garlic cloves (peeled and minced or crushed)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

1 medium bunch of chopped cilantro or parsley, stems removed

Add all ingredients except the water to a food processer and blend.

Add a little bit of the water at a time and blend until the dressing reaches the desired consistency.

Transfer dressing to a serving bowl and enjoy!

Originating in South America, chimichurri typically is used on grilled meat but adds a flavor punch to salads, roasted vegetables, potatoes, rice and sandwiches.

Recipe adapted from feastingathome.com and Bon Appetit

1 shallot or ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped

1 Fresno chile or red jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for desired consistency

Place shallot (or onion), chile (or jalapeño) and garlic in food processer and chop.

Add cilantro, oregano and parsley. Pulse again until mixed in well.

Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and add vinegar, lime juice, salt, pepper and ½ cup of the olive oil. Stir. Add in more salt and olive oil until desired consistency and taste.

Let mixture sit at least 10 minutes before serving. Chimichurri will keep up to 4 days in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.

Guacamole is always a favorite dip for chips, but try it on top of salads and burrito bowls.

2 dried chipotle chiles, finely crushed, stems discarded

2 diced medium avocados, pitted and skins removed

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Over medium heat, sauté shallot, crushed chipotle chiles and half of the tomatoes until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Place aside and allow to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, mix together avocados, onion, serrano chile, lime juice and remaining tomatoes. Add the cooled shallot mixture and fold in diced mango and chopped cilantro. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately.

As part of its Heal at Home series, CURE® worked with a registered dietitian from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center to put together several cancer-friendly dishes that everyone can enjoy this summer.

Cool Off From a Hot Summer With These Cancer-Friendly Recipes

A new vaccination immune response monitoring platform is going beyond a simple “Yes/No” and providing clinicians and patients more quantitative data regarding immune response to COVID-19 vaccination. The test could be especially beneficial for immunocompromised patients by informing timing for boosters down the road.

., just recently launched. Renold Capocasale, CEO and founder of FlowMetric, and Grant Morgan, PhD, PMP, executive vice president for FlowMetric and general manager of VaxEffect, spoke this week on the platform, its clinical application, and future plans for immune response tests for other vaccines beyond COVID-19.

“The VaxEffect test, built with different technology on flow cytometry, is able to actually detect not only were you infected with the COVID-19 virus or created an immune response to the vaccine, but also the level of immune response that you were able to generate in response to either prior infection or to the vaccine,” said Morgan.

What we're seeing with immunocompromised people, including people who have suffered from various different types of cancer, is that the immune response to the vaccine they receive is very varied. Some patients actually generate strong immune responses and, therefore, could be considered to be protected from the virus in going forward in their everyday lives.

But what they are seeing in both oncology specialties, but also for organ transplantation, diabetes, geriatric specialties, [is] that people have a reduced response to the vaccine they receive. And with regular serology tests not based on our platform of flow cytometry, they are actually getting results that say they are not generating any kind of immune response. But because the flow cytometry platform that we utilize for the VaxEffect test is so sensitive, we are actually able to identify a positive but weak immune response to the vaccine they received, which means there is a potential for a booster shot to actually increase that initial immune response that they generated.

VaxEffect is different to other tests on the market, specifically serology tests, in that a majority of them are over a very small dynamic range, which means that they can only give you really a qualitative result of ‘Yes, you've been infected or vaccinated and created an immune response,’ or ‘No, you haven't.’ The VaxEffect test, built with different technology on flow cytometry, is able to actually detect not only were you infected with the COVID-19 virus or created an immune response to the vaccine, but also the level of immune response that you were able to generate in response to either prior infection or to the vaccine.

The vaccine immune response monitoring platform can identify weak responses in patients with cancer and help determine the potential need for a booster shot.

CURE staff

Illuminating Compassion in Cancer Care

Educated Patient® Breast Cancer Summit at MBCC Keynote Presentation: March 4, 2023

Cool Off From a Hot Summer With These Cancer-Friendly Recipes

VaxEffect Test Can Determine Immune Response to COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients With Cancer

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