I submitted this poem because I believe some of us survivors work so hard while dealing with the cancer that when we are done and survived, we feel the darkness.

I’ve always been obsessed by my olfactory senses.

Stacked in front of the overflowing bookcases

Need to have the dust and cobwebs blown off.

Honestly, I should have sprayed this before.

This poem was written and submitted by Jeanne Anderson. The article reflects the views Anderson and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

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A cancer survivor wrote a poem about the darkness she feels after being told radiation treatments are over and she’s good to go. 

Good to Go: Is There Such a Thing After Cancer?

Jeanne Anderson

I am submitting these works as a testament to strength, courage and resilience, not just for myself, but all those affected by this disease. I write to continue to encourage myself in this literal fight for my life.

I began to write not long after my radiation treatments ended. I had a few poems written and a short story from a few years ago. A relative visiting from out of town happened to mention that she was an editor. At that time, she had a small side business as a proofreader and editor. I couldn’t believe it. I've known her all my life and never knew this about her. So I took a chance, a leap of faith some would say. I mentioned, ever so meekly, that I have written a book.

She was ecstatic! She had a couple of authors as clients and believed in the power of writing. This made me anxious and excited all at the same time. The next day she shared with me her thoughts and encouraged me to continue writing.

Writing my thoughts was a much-needed form of therapy. With my diagnosis, treatments and all that I experienced in 2022 and 2023, I definitely needed a positive outlet. Life had become chaotic and some of my poor decisions made things even harder.

Now that I’ve gone through the storm clouds and darkness, I’m even more grateful for my life. I’m thankful for everyday I’m blessed to see and am living with purpose and the hope of the future and whatever life has in store. My desire now is to spread a message of self-love, peace and light and to take back that which we often lose when dealing with a sickness such as cancer: our autonomy.

And at times had to go to appointments on my own

The toll this road takes can run for miles and miles

All along the way we continue to find a way to smile

Going through this has made me a go-getter

And as those who have walked this path before us have shown

And if you’re feeling out of sorts, they help to guide you through

And together we will take back our autonomy

As we climb, no one really knows what’s on our minds

As we climb, we are not sure along the way what we’ll find

As we climb, the path ahead, it can be a little blurry

As we climb, let’s make sure we don’t grow to worry

As we climb, we know that everything takes time

As we climb, there needs to be a passion inside

As we climb, burn with the blaze and drive of an iron side

As we climb, we develop a grace and elegance of royalty

As we climb, continually stoking the fire in our belly as if out of self-loyalty

And as we climb, we will show the world the true meaning of a survivor

This poem was written and submitted by Danyelle L. Walker. The article reflects the views Walker and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

I wrote these poems as a testament to strength, courage and resilience for all patients affected by cancer. 

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Two Poems on My Experience

Danyelle L. Walker

The theme of the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, “Comfort to Cure,” has long been my motto and the focus of my career and clinical work.

I first learned of the crucial role of comfort when I tried to treat a 20-year-old man who had a curable testicular cancer. The key drug in the regimen was cisplatin, but researchers had yet to develop Zofran (ondansetron) and its relatives, such as Emend (aprepitant). Because the anti-nausea and anti-vomiting drugs we had at the time were nowhere near strong enough to counter the severe side effects of the cisplatin, my patient insisted on using only “natural” remedies to treat the disease and, tragically, died from what would have been curable cancer.

Another patient, a gentleman with cancer of the prostate that had metastasized to his bones, came to the clinic on a stretcher, accompanied by his wife and sister. They told me that if I could not offer anything else for the pain, they wanted me to help him die. Along with ibuprofen, he took a low-dose of a form of morphine that only worked for a few hours, after which the severe pain returned.

Both patients taught me that symptom management can be lifesaving. I became obsessed with finding better therapies for my patients’ symptoms, vowing I would not lose another patient to the undertreated side effects of curative therapy or undertreated pain. I soon found a solution to both of these problems. I identified a preventive regimen that enabled my patients to tolerate curative platinum-based therapy and other therapies that otherwise would have caused severe nausea or vomiting. Additionally, I was able to relieve patients’ pain with long-acting forms of opioids.

After implementing this palliative care plan with that gentleman with prostate cancer, he regained the will to live — and even brought me souvenirs from his travels. At this time, we didn’t yet have an official subspecialty of hospice and palliative medicine. Still, in effect, I was already delivering integrated oncology care and palliative care (sometimes called supportive care) to my patients.

You can readily understand why I favor integrating palliative care from the beginning of a patient’s cancer journey. Research shows that integration can even be life-prolonging for patients with metastatic lung cancer. Patients who saw a palliative care clinician within three weeks of diagnosis lived almost three months longer than those who only saw palliative care if their oncologist asked for a consultation.

Communication Challenges With Palliative Care

Many of you will not suffer from troubling symptoms during treatment because modern treatments have fewer side effects, and the drugs now available to prevent or manage side effects and pain are so much more powerful. You and your family will have to make some tough decisions during your or a loved one’s cancer treatment, however.

Yet, you may feel reluctant to “bother” your oncology clinicians with too many questions. For one thing, the visit time is generally short; for another, most of you want to be “good patients” who demonstrate appreciation for all your oncology team has done.

A palliative care clinician who partners with your oncology team can help. Your oncology team should review the risks and benefits of treatments thoroughly, but they often don’t have time to discuss your goals, hopes, worries and the burdens that treatment may entail, such as weekly blood draws. Palliative care clinicians do. We can review your symptoms and the side effects of treatments (such as constipation from pain medications) and also tackle the questions you and your family have about the burdens and benefits of the subsequent treatments offered.

Alternately, suppose a time comes when you and your family feel the burden of another treatment for a far-advanced cancer exceeds the benefit. You may hesitate to discuss those feelings with your oncology team but might be comfortable raising the issue with your palliative care clinicians. I remember when an oncology colleague covering for me one weekend confided that my patient, Mr. A, said he was “done.”He wanted to go into a hospice program. When my colleague asked Mr. A why I hadn’t referred him, he replied that he hadn’t told me his wishes: “Dr. Abrahm has tried so hard for me over all these years. I don’t want to let her down.”

I imagine some of you might be like Mr. A: not wanting to let your oncologist down. But if you share your feelings with your palliative care clinicians, they can let your oncology team know. Together, your oncology and palliative care teams can help you and your family make plans that fit your goals.

Don’t be shy about asking for a referral to palliative care early in your cancer course. When your oncology team partners with palliative care clinicians from the beginning, it enhances your relationship with the oncology team, and the oncologist and their staff benefit from the expertise palliative care provides.

None of you will be “worrying alone” anymore. Comfort can lead to a cure — or, at the least, far greater quality of life.

A doctor explains how oncology palliative care can be lifesaving for patients with cancer.

From Comfort to Cure in Cancer Care: Use Palliative Care From the Start

Dr. Janet L. Abrahm is a palliative care oncologist from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 

Janet Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM

Dr. Antoinette J. Wozniak is a professor of medicine in the division of hematology/oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and associate director for clinical research and director of the lung cancer disease unit for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center. Prior to this, she was a professor of oncology and leader of the multidisciplinary thoracic team at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan.

Dr. Wozniak has been an oncologist for more than 30 years. For 25-plus years, she has devoted her practice to the care and treatment of patients with lung cancer. Her main research interests have been in clinical trials for thoracic malignancies and new drug development. She has been a researcher for numerous clinical trials, including national trials conducted through the Southwest Oncology Group and at her own institution. She has more than 250 published articles, abstracts and book chapters. She is an active member and has served on several committees for the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. She has served as a member of the Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee for the Food and Drug Administration and is on the medical advisory board of the American Lung Association. She is editor in chief of Clinical Lung Cancer. She was a founding member of Free to Breathe, where she has served as secretary-treasurer and on the board of directors, and she has continued on the scientific committee since the organization’s merger with the Lung Cancer Research Foundation.

She is an active educator, team player, patient-centered physician and strong patient advocate. She is very worthy of this recognition as a lung cancer hero.

An oncologist writes about the valuable contributions of another oncologist in the field.

Leading Through Research, Education

Maha H.A. Hussain, MD

Improved outcomes were seen with magrolimab plus docetaxel in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had higher CD47 expressions, according to a presentation on the phase 2 ELEVATELung&UC trial at the 2024 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting.

Magrolimab is a type of monoclonal antibody that targets CD47 by binding to it, according to the National Cancer Institute. When the drug binds to CD47, it helps destroy the cancer cells directly. In the study, magrolimab was combined with docetaxel, a type of chemotherapy. 

The study included 31 patients with metastatic NSCLC who previously received treatment in the second- or later-line setting. Researchers found that patients with NSCLC with confirmed partial responses (PRs) or complete responses (CRs) to magrolimab plus docetaxel had higher baseline levels of CD47 expression.

Among patients with CD47 expression on more than 50% of tumor cells, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.9 months versus 2.6 months for those with baseline CD47 expression below 50%. The median PFS in the NSCLC population treated with magrolimab plus docetaxel was 5.4 months.

“Despite a limited sample size, the correlation between CD47 expression and better outcome in both [ELEVATELung&UC] and in Tempus real-world data of patients treated with chemotherapy and/or [immunotherapy] suggests a positive prognostic role for CD47 in metastatic NSCLC,” lead study author Nick van Buuren, of Gilead Sciences and coauthors, wrote in a poster of the data.

Among the 31 patients with metastatic NSCLC in the study who received treatment (intent-to-treat population; ITT), the median age was 65 years. Most patients were male (77.4%), White (90.3%), had stage 4 disease (96.8%), had an ECOG performance score of 1 at baseline (54.8%) and were former smokers (58.1%). The best overall responses to magrolimab plus docetaxel in this population included CR or PR (19.4%), stable disease (SD; 38.7%) and progressive disease (PD; 16.1%).

The biomarker-evaluable population was a subset of 24 patients with stage 4 NSCLC who had reportable baseline CD47 results. The patient characteristics and best overall response rates reflected those observed in the ITT population. In this population, the median age was 64 years. Most patients were male (75%), White (87.5%), had an ECOG performance score of 1 at baseline (62.5%) and were former smokers (50%). Best overall responses to magrolimab plus docetaxel in this population included CR or PR (20.8%), SD (37.5%) and PD (12.5%).

The ELEVATE-Lung&UC trial evaluated the safety, tolerability and effectiveness of magrolimab plus docetaxel in patients with metastatic NSCLC, metastatic small cell lung cancer and metastatic bladder cancer.

Patients with mNSCLC must have received one or two prior lines of platinum-based chemotherapy, a checkpoint inhibitor or both.

Patients received magrolimab at a priming dose of 1 milligram per kilogram (mg/kg) on cycle one day one, followed by a weekly dose of 30 mg/kg from cycle one day eight to cycle two day 15. After, patients received a maintenance dose of 60 mg/kg every three weeks from cycle three day one onward. Docetaxel was given at 75 mg per square meter every three weeks.

In February 2024, Gilead announced a global pause in enrollment to studies investigating magrolimab in patients with solid tumors, including ELEVATELung&UC, to review the risk-benefit profile of magrolimab across the trials. The FDA subsequently requested a partial clinical hold on these trials.

Gilead later decided to terminate the ELEVATELung&UC trial.

“Biomarker analysis of magrolimab plus docetaxel in patients from ELEVATE-Lung and UC, a phase 2 multicohort study” by Nick van Buuren, et al., 2024 SITC Annual Meeting.

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The ELEVATELung&UC trial demonstrated improved outcomes in metastatic NSCLC patients with high CD47 expression treated with magrolimab plus docetaxel. Magrolimab, a monoclonal antibody targeting CD47, showed enhanced efficacy in patients with over 50% CD47 expression, achieving a median PFS of 8.9 months compared to 2.6 months in those with lower expression. Despite promising results, the trial was terminated following a global pause and FDA partial clinical hold due to safety concerns. The study highlighted CD47's potential prognostic role in metastatic NSCLC.

Patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and high CD47 expression showed improved responses to treatment with magrolimab plus docetaxel. 

Magrolimab-Chemo Combo Improves Responses in Metastatic NSCLC

Gina Mauro

Donna Rebecca Garner, RN, is one of the most compassionate, honest, caring and dedicated nurses I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Not only is she amazing with all of the patients she helps serve, she is also — hands down — the best nurse to care for my mother battling cancer. She is always willing to help, no matter the ask. She is kind-hearted and uplifting. She has been a blessing to my family and to all of the families she serves.

As her manager, she has been a great employee and has never received a patient complaint. In fact, she receives regular praise, and patients ask for her by name. Oftentimes, they are willing to wait for her — even when she's on vacation — rather than allowing someone else in the practice to assist them. She is an amazing nurse and more than deserving of this recognition and award.

Editor’s Note: This is an essay submitted by Lauren Pettis, RN, for the 2021 Extraordinary Healer Award. 

 to read more about CURE®’s Extraordinary Healer® Award for Oncology Nursing event on April 30, 2021.

A manager describes how an oncology nurse helps patients with cancer including her own mother.

A Blessing to Everyone She Helps

Lauren Pettis, RN

I've survived cancer four times, but I still remember the first time I heard it apply to me. I was just 44 years old. I had an excellent job with a major corporation. And with three children in their late teens and early 20s, I had a busy, happy life.

Then, my doctor said my annual mammogram showed an area of interest and required a biopsy. Soon, I found myself waiting for the doctor in the cold examination room in one of those gowns that didn't cover everything.

I didn't suspect a problem because my husband wasn't invited in for the results. 

, the door opened, and the doctor entered, focusing on my chart. He looked over the little glasses perched on the middle of his nose. Matter-of-factly, he said, "Your biopsy reported cancer. When do you want to schedule cutting them off?"

I was shocked at his coldness. He didn't appear to think about how I felt or that my husband should join us. It took me a moment to gather my thoughts. How would I tell my husband? He had lost his mother to cancer, and in his first marriage, he lost a 3-year-old son to cancer? How would my mom, a recent widow, handle it? And my daughters, would they be afraid? I had always been there for them, especially in my ten years as a single mom.

I was a person who was always prepared. So, I had lunch with Mary Ellen, a survivor who had cancer and reconstruction. She understood that I did a lot of speaking to executives for my job, and I wanted to continue to project confidence.

So, I inquired about the stage of cancer. Fortunately, it was low. Then I asked the doctor if he coordinated with a plastic surgeon, as I had learned from Mary Ellen there must be enough skin to perform reconstruction.

The doctor grew colder and looked down his nose as he said, "Be very grateful that I am going to save your life. Don't think about reconstruction now. If you don't get it, so what! You'll live."

I thought I am not just a body to be cut and stitched but a spirit that lives in this body. Was he thinking of killing the cancer like a knight slaying the dragon? There was no thought that there was a spirit within this body with feelings and an opinion. It didn't feel right. So, I said, I am getting a second opinion! The doctor got red in the face and said, "You're very foolish. This is 

 professional opinion." He wrote in red on my chart, “patient refuses to follow the prescribed protocol!" I was not deterred.

I called the OBGYN, who was very empathetic and recommended I go to a hospital in Washington, DC, for surgery and reconstruction in a single operation.

The oncology and plastic surgeon worked together. I awoke "like a bionic woman." Yes, there was pain and exercises to ensure the implants remained flexible, and I regained the use of my arm and back muscles. I was delighted when I finally returned to work.

Because I did a lot of speaking for my job and taught weekend courses at a major university, I consistently worked to hone my skills. Several years and three bouts with cancer later, I attended a speaking seminar in Florida. It was there that I met Peggie Sherry. Peggie was also a cancer survivor who spoke about her charity, Faces of Courage. As soon as she spoke, I knew I had to meet and offer to work with her. She explained how survivors can help patients at weekend camp experiences. Fortunately, we connected, and I felt a new purpose in life. I spoke and acted as a counselor at the next camp. It was so fulfilling. I knew I had found my destiny.

Since those early days, Peggie and I have become good friends. During the pandemic, we realized we had received spiritual messages to write a book. We decided it would not be our stories, but a book of individual chapters filled with tips and resources based on our experiences and the 13,000 patients and survivors who have attended our events. As of today, we have received grants to distribute books in English and Spanish for free and sell others on Amazon, where the profit goes to our charity, FacesofCourage.org. A major cancer center in Tampa received a grant and is creating FAQs on their website based on the book and translating it into more languages. I am so grateful for meeting Peggie and the change it made in my life. Tell your story; it will help others gain courage and insight.

This post was written and submitted Phyllis Mikolaitis. The article reflects the views of Mikolaitis and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

As soon as one cancer survivor spoke, I knew I had to meet and offer to work with her.

How a Chance Meeting Changed My Life After Cancer

Phyllis Mikolaitis

Megan McCarthy, RN, is the very essence of a great nurse. 

I have worked in oncology for almost 30 years and have crossed paths with many wonderful and caring professionals. Megan McCarthy is one of the best. Her energy and passion for the job of caring for patients with cancer are simply unmatched. She is a careful, considerate colleague to her nursing team and can be depended upon to elevate any care setting she enters.

The neighborhood where Megan practices in the borough of Queens, New York, is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse in the world. Her approach to each patient is sensitive and questioning, always seeking to understand the person in front of her. Her skill set is unmatched from a clinical perspective as well as a psychological one.

In the COVID-19 world, patients are understandably worried and fearful, especially in a city that has seen devastating consequences from the pandemic in the past year. 

Not only has Megan helped patients navigate through the vaccination process during treatment, but she has allayed fears by demonstrating strict procedural boundaries for the comfort and safety of all.

Megan acts as a mentor and instructor in her offices, showing a natural leadership capability far beyond her years of experience. Those in her sphere look up to her, and she is a “go-to” person for answers as well as development of those around her.

I extend a heartfelt and enthusiastic nomination for this wonderful nursing professional. The quality and compassion with which she delivers care deserve to be recognized. Thank you for considering her for this award.

Megan McCarthy, RN, is the very essence of a great nurse, one person said. 

Unmatched Energy and Passion for Cancer Care

Lynn Kay Winters, MBA, CMPE, CPHQ

But my brain takes me on a small vacation.

Chemo starts on Wednesday echoes in my head

Wednesday is when? What day is this? One of seven ahead.

It’s the day things change, it’s cancer, I think through the mist

This shouldn’t be hard, but the unknowns are now my list.

“Chemo will last several months” I hear.

I need to go to Texas for my niece’s wedding

“Not this year” you’ll be here with cancer cells shedding!

Shake this cough, losing weight …and is that the cancer? Boom!

I can not believe it, that’s when I cry —

priorities change with cancer identified!

You can pretend, deny, go shopping it’s all OK.

You can “poor me” until there is nothing left to say.

Bad reaction to meds, can you come back Thursday?

Sure, any day, any time, earned trust goes a long way.

Oh, wow with your attitude, you’re going to get through

“Why Me” Sounds good, but not the thing to do.

Cancer is just scary, puzzling and yes, at first, inconvenient.

The process IS life transforming, life changing, opens my eyes, my mind.

And yet here I am bald, tired, fighting the good fight

What more could it do? I will come ‘round right!

I believe I wrote this poem for my peace of mind and to celebrate the successful journey through diagnosis, chemotherapy and survival that I took/am taking.

This post was written and submitted by Patsy Sherrill Madden. The article reflects the views of Madden and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

When I received a diagnosis of colon cancer, my priorities had to change drastically.

Life After Cancer is to Live and so I Did

Patsy Sherrill Madden

Patients with glioblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor, experienced tumor control after complete in-situ vaccination and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, which resulted in T-cell expansion and clonal replacement, study findings showed. 

At the 2024 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting, results were highlighted from the phase 2 2-THE-TOP trial, analyzing the safety and efficacy of adjuvant Temodar (temozolomide) plus tumor treating fields (TTFields; Optune) and Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. The data from the trial were compared with a matched-control cohort of patients who received TTFields plus Temodar. Investigators found the median progression-free survival (PFS) in the experimental arm reached 12 months versus 5.8 in the control arm. The median overall survival (OS) was 24.8 months versus 14.6 months.

A longer survival was noted when patients underwent biopsy only versus maximal resection. The median PFS was 27.2 months versus 9.6 months. The median OS was 31.6 months versus 18.8 months. A high objective response was also noted for patients with biopsy-only tumors

The most common grade 1 (mild)/2 (moderate) side effects included nausea (29 patients), rash (22 patients), vomiting (14 patients) and pruritus/itching (14 patients). Additionally, grade 3 (severe)/4 (life-threatening) effects were minimal, with the most common being fatigue (six patients).

“The hypothesis was created that TTFields plus [Keytruda] creates a therapeutic synergy,” Dr. David D. Tran stated during the presentation. “Patients with bulky, unresectable tumors are associated with more robust in-situ vaccination, enhanced anti-tumor immunity and longer survival compared with those with maximally reduced tumors.”

Tran is the chief of the Division of Neuro-Oncology and co-director of the Brain Tumor Center at the University of Southern California.

The 2-THE-TOP trial enrolled patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. At week 1, concurrent radiotherapy and Temodar were given. At two weeks to 24 months, Keytruda was given for up to 34 cycles.

Patients who received biopsy only and were given Keytruda underwent clonal replacement, which investigators found correlated with survival.

Tran discussed that immuno-oncology has shown limited efficacy in glioblastoma because of the non-inflamed “cold” tumor microenvironment. This could be because of the low infiltration of T cells or TILs that are tolerized and exhausted.

Reasons leading to this limited efficacy could be intrinsic resistance with a failure to initiate an immune reaction, adaptive resistance with a failure to initiate an immune reaction an inactivation of tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes or acquired resistance with an escape from detection.

Tran introduced the phase 3 EF-14 trial, which assessed adjuvant Temodar plus TTFields for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Specifically, the TTFields used was Optune, which is a mobile device that attaches to the top of the head to directly target the tumor.

The median OS from randomization was 20.9 months in the TTFields and Temodar arm versus 16 months in the Temodar alone arm. Additionally, the median OS from diagnosis was 24.5 months versus 19.8 months in each arm, and the two-year OS rates were 43.1% versus 30.7%.

“In-situ vaccination by tumor treating fields and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in patients with large residual GBM results in robust T cell selection and expansion, high response rate, and extended survival,” by Dr. David D. Tran, et al., presented at the 2024 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting.

Patients with glioblastoma showed improved tumor control and survival with in-situ vaccination and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, as demonstrated in the 2-THE-TOP trial. The trial compared adjuvant Temodar, TTFields, and Keytruda against a control group receiving TTFields and Temodar. Results indicated a median progression-free survival of 12 months and overall survival of 24.8 months in the experimental group. Biopsy-only patients exhibited longer survival and higher response rates. Common mild side effects included nausea and rash, while severe effects were minimal, primarily fatigue.

Patients with glioblastoma experienced tumor control after complete in-situ vaccination and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, researchers have reported.

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