CANCER BUZZ

CANCER BUZZ features fresh perspectives on hot topics in oncology care delivery. CANCER BUZZ is where stakeholders from the front lines of care to the C-suite, from research to the registry, from chairside to benchside, talk about top-of-mind questions and real-world impact.

Navigating R/R FL: A Patient Centered Approach 11/20/2025

1st Guest 6 Years Later 11/18/2025

Championing Lung Cancer Clinical Trials in the VA 11/12/2025

Exploring FGFR2b in Gastric and GEJ Cancer 11/06/2025

Exploring FGFR2b in Gastric and GEJ Cancer Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 isoform IIIb (FGFR2b) is an emerging biomarker present in about 38% of patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Nataliya Uboha, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist at University of Wisconsin Health, about current recommendations for biomarker testing in this population, emerging biomarkers such as FGFR2b, and how multidisciplinary collaboration can ensure patients receive timely biomarker testing. CANCER BUZZ also interviews Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, ODS, FACCC, administrative director of cancer services and ambulatory infusion at Southern Ohio Medical Center, about care coordination strategies and lessons learned from her team’s experience administering biomarker testing. Finally, Kristina A. Matkowskyj, MD, PhD, pathologist at Mayo Clinic, explains the vital role of pathologists in identifying biomarkers and strategies for success in biopsies. “We have to work closely with our pathology colleagues to make sure that all of the tests are done quickly and so that they are readily available by the time the patient is seen in clinic.” - Nataliya Uboha, MD, PhD “Tracking, knowing what and when new things come out, being able to mine your data to find those things, I think is going to be uber critical.” - Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, ODS, FACCC “I believe that the precision medicine testing that we’re doing today... is going to change the face of cancer care.” - Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, ODS, FACCC “As a pathologist, if I was able to stress one thing, it would be to collect as many biopsies as is safely possible for that particular patient.” - Kristina A. Matkowskyj, MD, PhD Guests: Nataliya Uboha, MD, PhD Medical Oncology University of Wisconsin Health Madison, WI Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, ODS, FACCC Administrative Director of Cancer Services & Ambulatory Infusion Southern Ohio Medical Center Portsmouth, OH Kristina A. Matkowskyj, MD, PhD Pathologist Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN /episode/index/show/8c14e234-7a96-47a3-84da-b3cf4f090e2f/id/38940940

Unlocking ESR1 Mutations in Breast Cancer 10/30/2025

Retired Nurses Supporting the Workforce 10/21/2025

Retired Nurses Supporting the Workforce Una Hopkins, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, RN, FACCC, president of the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) designated her theme for the 2025-2026 year as in response to forecasts predicting both patient and survivor populations will grow in coming years. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Dr. Hopkins about the importance of peer-to-peer mentorship in workforce development and empowerment, particularly for nurses, and why retired nurses are well-equipped to provide this mentorship. Later in the episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Josephine Lisowski, RN, BSN, OCN, PRN nurse at Advocate Health, who came out of retirement to fill a new role reducing burnout and increasing retention of oncology nurses. Throughout her career, Lisowski identified that a strong culture rooted in quality, patient safety, and excellence in nursing must be nurtured to avoid burnout. Upon retirement, she felt a pull to return towards mentoring and supporting younger oncology nurses to improve retention and job satisfaction. Lisowski will discuss how using a retired nurse for this mentorship role at Advocate Health lifted the burden on the main work force and combined generational strengths to enable nurses to provide the best care possible to patients. “We have to create spaces that are more psychologically safe for both our patients and our providers. I think that once we do that, we will see burnout change” - Dr. Hopkins “When you bring a retired nurse back again, it's meeting them where they are. They still want to share that knowledge that they have.” - Dr. Hopkins There's so much new innovation coming every day. But peer-to-peer, we can knock things between each other... It educates me and it educates them.” - Lisowski “I'm trying to encourage hospital management to keep the older nurses on at some point and not just have a whole new crew... In oncology, experience counts.” - Lisowski Una Hopkins, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, RN, FACCC President, Association of Cancer Care Centers Director for Research and Evidence-Based Practice Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, New York Josephine Lisowski, RN, BSN, OCN PRN Nurse Advocate Health Park Ridge, Illinois Resources: This podcast is part of a special series featuring ACCC members committed to the 2025-2026 ACCC President’s Theme: . /episode/index/show/8c14e234-7a96-47a3-84da-b3cf4f090e2f/id/38645140

LIVE from NOC: Women Leaders in Oncology 10/17/2025

LIVE from NOC: Hot Topics 10/17/2025

LIVE from NOC:Serving a Growing Patient Population 10/17/2025

LIVE from NOC: Psychosocial Care, Alcohol, Marijuana and more 10/16/2025

LIVE from NOC: Exec Dir on Unleashing Innovation 10/15/2025

2025 Trending Now in Cancer Care: Part 2 10/14/2025

2025 Trending Now in Cancer Care: Part 1 10/09/2025

A Patient-Centered Approach to CDK4/6 Inhibitors 10/08/2025

Bridging the AYA Survivorship Gap 10/02/2025

Bridging the AYA Survivorship Gap It is essential for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) to have a foundation of care prior to discharge after their cancer , and the multidisciplinary care team, including primary care providers (PCPs), must be equipped to support these patients. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Scott J. Capozza, PT, MSPT, on his journey navigating care after cancer treatment as a young adult and his ASCO JCO Oncology Practice article, “Patient is Otherwise Healthy.” CANCER BUZZ then speaks with Melody Griffith, MSW, LMSW, Outpatient Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology social worker at Mayo Clinic Arizona, on her role in patient navigation and how her department supports AYAs through their entire cancer continuum. CANCER BUZZ concludes with Cathy Lee-Miller, MD, director of AYA Oncology Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, on their cohort training program preparing PCPs for managing AYA survivorship care. “The late effects for young adults are very real and a lot of times they are not recognized because we look otherwise healthy on the outside, but that belies what's going on internally.” - Scott J. Capozza, PT, MSPT “We talk about post-traumatic stress, but also post-traumatic growth and what they bring with them and what they've learned through their process. It's not just the treatment, right? After treatment, there's a lot of years left to live.” - Melody Griffith, MSW, LMSW “We really try and help empower these patients, particularly AYAs who maybe relied on their parents for their medical care before... We really try to spell that out for people so they can take responsibility and take charge of their own long-term health.” - Cathy Lee-Miller, MD Scott J. Capozza, PT, MSPT Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Oncologic Physical Therapy YNHH Outpatient Oncology Rehabilitation Services Smilow Cancer Hospital Adult Cancer Survivorship Clinic New Haven, CT Melody Griffith, MSW, LMSW Outpatient Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Social Worker Mayo Clinic Arizona Phoenix, AZ Cathy Lee-Miller, MD Director, AYA Oncology Clinic Associate Professor, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Transplant & Cellular Therapy University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center Madison, WI This podcast is part of the AYA Oncology Screening and Survivorship Services program, made possible through the support from The Arizona Clinical Oncology Society, Indiana Oncology Society, and Wisconsin Association of Hematology and Oncology. Resources: The Arizona Clinical Oncology Society: Indiana Oncology Society: Wisconsin Association of Hematology and Oncology: /episode/index/show/8c14e234-7a96-47a3-84da-b3cf4f090e2f/id/38430715

Real World Models for APP Onboarding 09/25/2025

Real World Models for APP Onboarding Advanced practice providers (APPs) play an increasingly vital role in delivering high-quality, team-based care. APPs need the right support and structure when stepping into the complex world of oncology, through thoughtful onboarding programs. It is essential to spotlight effective APP onboarding models across various practice settings, including academic, comprehensive, and community settings. Multidisciplinary oncology teams in all settings for APP programs highlight structure, support, and sustainability as key aspects of successful integration. This podcast, supported by state society oncology programs, discusses different approaches to onboarding, mentorship, and role optimization tailored to each institution’s unique needs and resources. CANCER BUZZ speaks with Jennifer Gray, DNP, ACNP-BC, AOCNP, assistant director of advanced practice at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute on her experience onboarding APPs with different experience levels in a comprehensive setting and onboarding APPs in clinical research. CANCER BUZZ then speaks with Glen Peterson, DNP, ACNP, RN, APP education & quality director and hematology quality director at the University of Colorado Cancer about effective strategies in a large academic environment. The podcast concludes with Jonathan Catrona, MS, PA-C, advanced practice clinical education specialist at New York Cancer & Blood Specialists on retaining APPs in a community setting. “We do believe that mentorship is key to building a resilient workforce and for retaining APPs, and it’s really an investment in supporting APP development and helping create the environment and workforce that you want in the future” – Jennifer Gray, DNP, ACNP-BC, AOCNP “I think one of the most important things in onboarding APPs in a complicated academic medical center environment is that we have a very clear system and a clear structure to how we orient and onboard our APPs.” – Glen Peterson, DNP, ACNP, RN, APP “My goal is to help you learn… [and] my goal is to make sure that you’re able to help patients and help people.” – Jonathan Catrona, MS, PA-C Glen Peterson, DNP, ACNP, RN, APP Education & Quality Director, Hematology Director University of Colorado Cancer Center Aurora, CO Jennifer Gray, DNP, ACNP-BC, AOCNP Assistant Director of Advanced Practice Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte, NC Jonathan Catrona, MS, PA-C Advanced Practice Clinical Education Specialist New York Cancer & Blood Specialist New York, NY Resources: Rocky Mountain Oncology Society: Iowa Oncology Society: Empire State Hematology & Oncology Society: Nevada Oncology Society: North Carolina Oncology Association: Washington State Medical Oncology Society: /episode/index/show/8c14e234-7a96-47a3-84da-b3cf4f090e2f/id/38344760

Blood Cancer Awareness Month 09/23/2025

Workplace Culture 09/19/2025

A Patient and Her Care Team on Trust + Clinical Trials 09/18/2025

A Patient and Her Care Team on Trust + Clinical Trials Clinical research is critical to the development of life saving treatments. And ACCC has long supported equitable access to clinical trials, including efforts to ensure that these trials reflect the diversity of the populations they serve. ACCC has made the Just ASK™ Training Program and Site Self-Assessment available free-of-charge to help research sites address barriers to participation in cancer clinical trials among racial and ethnic populations. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ facilities a candid conversation with Glyniss Redman, who received treatment at Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute for multiple myeloma, and 2 members of her cancer treatment team: clinical research coordinator Audrianna Carrington and oncologist hematologist Dr. Tondre Buck, about overcoming barriers, ensuring shared decision-making, and improving the inclusion of historically underrepresented groups in clinical trials. “If you look at cancers in general, treatments have gotten better over the years in almost every category, and we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for clinical trials.” – Tondre Buck, MD “We’re playing the long game here. Some of the information or this research may not be about me. This is about our future generation…so this is a legacy game for me…This is what I’m doing with my [one] wild and precious life. I want to be here as long as I possibly can, but I also want my offspring: my children, my grandchildren, and my great grandchildren to be here as well and [to] have a better experience as far as health care and cancer.” – Glyniss Redman “We do have to talk about past unethical experimentation and research in order for us to better prepare how we're going to go forward…[transportation] is one barrier that we are tackling. You know, we don't want to put that stress on the patients who have to choose between gas, their physician visit, their food, or their medicine for the day. So that is a huge barrier, and you really want that population to be represented on the trial, because rural populations tend to have higher cancer rates.” – Audrianna Carrington Tondre Buck, MD Oncologist Hematologist Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute Spartanburg, SC Audrianna Carrington Clinical Research Coordinator Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute Spartanburg, SC Glyniss Redman Poet and Patient with Multiple Myeloma Reference: Unger JM, Shulman LN, Facktor MA, et al. National estimates of the participation of patients with cancer in clinical research studies based on Commission on Cancer accreditation data. J Clin Oncol. 2024;42(18):2139-2148. doi:10.1200/JCO.23.01030 Resources: /episode/index/show/8c14e234-7a96-47a3-84da-b3cf4f090e2f/id/38264220

Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Cancer Care Through Financial Navigation 09/11/2025

Managing CDK4/6 Inhibitor Toxicities in Breast Cancer 09/02/2025

Increasing Access and Representation in Clinical Trials 08/26/2025

Increasing Access and Representation in Clinical Trials Clinical trials are vital to offering and developing the most effective treatment options. However, there are large disparities in enrollment across race, ethnicity, geography, and type of cancer care center. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge, LA uses local partnerships, culturally tailored outreach, and workforce innovation to drive sustainable and equitable participation in clinical trials. Minorities now make up 21% of their clinical trial participation, surpassing the national average. Following these meaningful gains in attracting local minority populations and underserved communities to take part in clinical trials, the Mary Bird Perkins research team received a grant to further support this work. In this episode of CANCER BUZZ, Victor Lin, MD, PhD, research medical director at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, shares strategies for success in their community, including awareness campaigns and partnerships. CANCER BUZZ also speaks with TaeJeanne “TJ” Taylor-Lawrence, RN, registered nurse and patient navigator, about building relationships and supporting patients in clinical trials. “We really, really have to be thinking, from a trial design standpoint, about the barriers that we're throwing up in the name of trying to keep the science and the data clean.” - Victor Lin, MD, PhD “There's been this long-standing perception that cancer clinical trials are really the domain of only academic cancer centers. But I think increasingly we're finding that ... community cancer centers can be more nimble and are perfectly capable of running the same trials and seeing these patients where they live.” - Victor Lin, MD, PhD “I think that representation builds trust. If people don't see themselves in this process, whether it's in the data, whether it's in the staff, or any of the outreach programs that we have, they're just less likely to believe that this is for them. In my community, black and brown communities especially, I think there's a deep need to feel seen, respected, and understood. When a patient sees someone that looks like them or shares their background talking about clinical trials, I think that that shifts the energy.” - TaeJeanne “TJ” Taylor-Lawrence, RN “If the research does not reflect all of us, the solutions won't either.” - TaeJeanne “TJ” Taylor-Lawrence, RN Victor Lin, MD, PhD Research Medical Director Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Baton Rouge, LA TaeJeanne “TJ” Taylor-Lawrence, RN Registered Nurse Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Baton Rouge, LA Resources: /episode/index/show/8c14e234-7a96-47a3-84da-b3cf4f090e2f/id/37959700

Stay Ahead of the Curve on CDK4/6 Inhibitor Toxicities 08/07/2025

Transforming Cancer Detection and Treatment 08/05/2025

Adopting Machine Learning-Enabled Decision Support to Improve Oncology End-of-Life Outcomes 07/15/2025

Ambulatory Care Excellence (ACE): Charting a New Path in Ambulatory Care Model and Coordination 07/10/2025

Optimizing Germline and Somatic Testing in Prostate Cancer 07/01/2025

Better Bladder Cancer Care, Closer to Home 06/24/2025

Better Bladder Cancer Care, Closer to Home Navigating the growing complexity of bladder cancer care is essential to improving patient access and treatment closer to home. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Suzanne Merrill, MD, urologic oncologist at Colorado Urology about barriers and solutions to delivering high-quality bladder cancer care in community settings. CANCER BUZZ also speaks with Patrick Hensley, MD, urologist at University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, about implementing the Delivering High-Quality Bladder Cancer Care infographic in the community setting. Created by ACCC and BCAN, the infographic describes the 10 elements of excellent bladder cancer care. Cancer programs that align their practices with these guidelines can join a public registry so that patients and caregivers can identify quality bladder cancer care close to where they live. “The best strategies and tools to deliver high quality bladder cancer care out in the community lie first and foremost with having a bladder cancer clinician. It could be a urologist, it could be a urologic oncologist, could even be a medical oncologist or a radiation oncologist...their discipline doesn't matter as much as [having] the core clinical expert that is excited and dedicated to developing and instituting a comprehensive bladder cancer program.” - Suzanne Merrill, MD, FACS “Everybody assumes comprehensive care is being delivered at academic university settings, which it is, but there's so much...bladder cancer care being performed out in the community. So [the question is] how can we achieve comprehensive programs out in the community?” - Suzanne Merril, MD, FACS “I think it's really important that subspecialists and community providers work together to streamline those referrals and anticipate when the patients are coming in and what their needs are going to be, from a procedural standpoint, imaging standpoint, etc, so that you can avoid some of those undue delays in diagnosis and treatment.” - Patrick Hensley, MD Suzanne Merrill, MD, FACS Urologic Oncologist Colorado Urology Aurora, CO Patrick Hensley, MD Urologist Markey Cancer Center – Urology University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Resources: Funder Statement This program is supported by Astellas Pfizer Alliance, EMD Serano, and Gilead. /episode/index/show/8c14e234-7a96-47a3-84da-b3cf4f090e2f/id/37090055

ASCO E-Poster: Immune-Related Adverse Events 06/20/2025

Implementing a Structured, Scalable Geriatric Oncology Program 06/17/2025

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