A team of advanced practice providers in the Department of Hematology/Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center have received the 2021 Article of the Year Award from the Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology (JADPRO). This award is given to one article each year that demonstrates an exceptional contribution to the body of literature for oncology advanced practice.
Physician assistants Carolyn Zawislak, PA-C, and Victoria Wong, MHS, PA-C, and retired nurse practitioner Barbara Rogers, CRNP, MN, AOCN, ANP-BC, received the award for their review article, “Management of Hematologic Adverse Events Associated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.”
How It Began
The impetus for the paper came from Ms. Wong’s encounter with a patient who experienced a rare hematologic adverse event during immunotherapy. Ms. Wong is part of an immunotherapy working group with Ms. Zawislak and Ms. Rogers, and when they discussed the case and then searched for relevant literature, they found a significant knowledge gap.
Hematologic adverse events—namely anemia, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and neutropenia—are among many possible side effects of immunotherapy. Common adverse events that arise from immunotherapy include rash, colitis, and thyroid dysfunction. Hematologic adverse events are rare; they occur in only 1% to 5% of cases. As a result, these types of adverse events are not as well known or commonly understood.
Ms. Zawislak and Ms. Wong received their award at JADPRO Live, the annual meeting of the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO), which took place October 20–23, 2022, in Aurora, Colorado. APSHO is a society for advanced practitioners: nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, clinical nurse specialists, and other oncology health-care professionals.
