Since Florence Nightingale worked to improve the medical conditions of soldiers, nursing has progressed into a profession of caregivers with both clinical knowledge and technical expertise. Continually building on this proud tradition, nurses from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and throughout the country, will present their latest research findings at the Oncology Nursing Society’s 34th Annual Congress being held this week in San Antonio, Texas. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The conference features presentations and poster sessions on site-specific cancers, prevention, detection, symptom management, treatment advances and other topics dedicated to oncology nursing.

One such presentation features the work of Margaret Joyce, PhD(c), RN, AOCN, interim chief nursing officer at CINJ, and Linda Patrick-Miller, PhD, director of the Division of Behavioral Sciences at CINJ and assistant professor of psychiatry at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, which highlights lung cancer in patients who experience dyspnea, or difficult breathing. Their focus is the difference between two aspects of that breathing problem: namely, breathing effort, and a reaction to that sensation called breathing distress.

Their study examined whether certain characteristics such as age, gender, anxiety level, medications or other medical problems besides lung cancer were associated with, or potential predictors of, either breathing effort or distress. Results indicated that situational anxiety was weakly associated with breathing effort, and participants who were taking morphine or similar pain medication on a regular basis experienced less breathing distress than those not taking any pain medicine. The team collaborated with nurses from the University of Utah and University of Colorado Health Sciences on the work.

Along with scientific research, CINJ nurses also are presenting information on new methods to educate patients about the care they will receive. One of these communications efforts includes the development of a pre-operative teaching program for patients and families who need to learn complex, technical information about their cancer surgery. The fast pace of the high-volume clinic often makes it difficult for nurses to provide their patients with in-depth information prior to the procedure. Pre-operative education in the form of a resource packet with printed materials and a CD-ROM directed toward the various aspects of a specific surgery will allow patients and families to review the material at their convenience and ask questions at a pre-operative educational visit.

Effective education decreases anxiety, promotes early recognition of adverse events, improves outcomes, increases patient satisfaction and empowers patients to participate in their healthcare, which is why Carmela Hoefling, MSN, APN-C, AOCNP, and CINJ Interim Associate Director of Intra and Extramural Nursing Education Leah Scaramuzzo, MSN, RN, C, AOCN, who also is an oncology education specialist, developed this program.

Scaramuzzo, who also is the chair of the CINJ Patient Education Committee, and her colleagues also are presenting research on the development of an oncology nursing leaders committee within the CINJ Network of hospitals to provide cutting edge education and information to all oncology nurses throughout the state.

Utilizing the latest technology, online courses for continuing education credits were created and live lectures made available through the CINJ website. A collective listing of health events throughout the state was created, as was a web-based survey tool in order to assess needs and evaluate effectiveness. The team developed this program with the goal to leverage the collective wisdom and experience among oncology nurses within a region, in order to lead the development of a powerful statewide nursing education consortium.

Other CINJ nurses also had their work featured in the form of posters or abstracts, and many participated in leadership roundtable and panel discussions to lend their expertise to the hundreds of participants in attendance. They included: Janet Gordils-Perez, RN, MA, APN-C; Tracy Krimmel, MSN, AOCN, APRN-BC; Marlene McGuire, MA, RN, APN, OCN; Katen Moore, MSN, APN, AOCN; Susan Pillet, MSN, RN, CPNP, CPON; and CINJ Clinical Dietitian Maureen Huhmann, DCn, RD, SCO, who collaborated with McGuire on a dietary study.

About The Cancer Institute of New Jersey

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is dedicated to improving the prevention, detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer. CINJ’s physician-scientists engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice, quite literally bringing research to life. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a center of excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides a mechanism to rapidly disseminate important discoveries into the community. Flagship Hospital: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Major Clinical Research Affiliate Hospitals: Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Hospital, and Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Affiliate Hospitals: Bayshore Community Hospital, CentraState Healthcare System, Cooper University Hospital*, JFK Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton (CINJ at Hamilton), Saint Peter’s University Hospital, Somerset Medical Center, Southern Ocean County Hospital, The University Hospital/UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School*, and University Medical Center at Princeton.

Source: Cancer Institute of New Jersey

Moderate kidney disease increases an older man’s risk of developing certain cancers, according to an upcoming study in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). Given that chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects about a third of older men, maintaining kidney function could help prevent cancer in the general population.

People with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and kidney transplant recipients are at increased risk of developing cancer, but little is known about the cancer risks of individuals with milder kidney dysfunction. To investigate, Germaine Wong, MD (Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Australia), and her colleagues studied data from 3654 Australians aged 49 to 97 years who were followed for an average of 10 years. They observed individuals who had decreased kidney function for an increased risk of developing cancer.

The researchers discovered that men with moderate kidney dysfunction had a 39% increased risk of developing cancer over the risk seen in men with normal kidney function. Risk increased as kidney function declined, and men with significant kidney dysfunction had a three-fold increased risk above normal. The risk for lung and urinary tract cancers, but not prostate cancer, was higher among men with kidney disease.

Some evidence suggests that inflammation caused by CKD may contribute to the development of cancer. Other studies have found an association between Vitamin D deficiency, which is highly prevalent among people with moderately reduced kidney function, and increased cancer risk. Additional research is needed to uncover the underlying mechanisms involved in the cancer-kidney disease link found in this study and to explain why a link was not found in women.

According to Dr. Wong, “Men with CKD should be aware of cancer prevention and screening for early detection,” she said. “CKD prevention may be a worthwhile strategy for preventing and reducing cancer risk in the general population.”

Dr. Wong reports no financial disclosures.

Founded in 1966, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) is the world’s largest professional society devoted to the study of kidney disease. Comprised of 11,000 physicians and scientists, ASN continues to promote expert patient care, to advance medical research, and to educate the renal community. ASN also informs policymakers about issues of importance to kidney doctors and their patients. ASN funds research, and through its world-renowned meetings and first-class publications, disseminates information and educational tools that empower physicians.

Source: American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Over the next 20 years, the number of new cancer cases diagnosed annually will increase by 45%, and minorities and older adults — segments of the population expected to grow rapidly — will be disproportionately affected, according to a study released on Wednesday and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Reuters Health reports.

For the study, researcher Ben Smith of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and colleagues examined current U.S. Census Bureau statistics and cancer rates to look at how changes in the population will affect the number of people diagnosed with cancer. The data assume that rates of cancer would remain about the same. “This is basically [showing] how … our population changes impact the number of people getting cancer,” Smith added, noting, “Both older adults and minorities are segments of the patient population that are particularly vulnerable to receiving sub-optimal medical care.”

Researchers projected a 67% increase in the number of adults ages 65 and older diagnosed with cancer in 2030. Researchers also project that by 2030, the number of cancer cases annually among minorities will double from 330,000 to 660,000.

“In 2030, 70% of all cancers will be diagnosed in the elderly and 28% in minorities, and the number of older adults diagnosed with cancer will be the same as the total number of Americans diagnosed with cancer in 2010,” Smith said (Steenhuysen, Reuters Health, 4/29).


An abstract of the study is available online.

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