To provide a critical reflection of COVID-19 in the context of oncology nursing and provide recommendations for caring for people affected by cancer during this pandemic. Data sources: Electronic databases, including CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Scopus, professional web sites, and grey literature were searched using Google Scholar. Conclusion: Nurses are key stakeholders in developing and implementing policies regarding standards of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic poses several challenges for oncology services. Oncology nurses are providing a pivotal role in the care and management of the novel COVID-19 in the year landmarked as the International Year of the Nurse. Implications for Nursing Practice: It is too early to tell what shape this pandemic will take and its impact on oncology care. However, several important clinical considerations have been discussed to inform oncology nursing care and practice.

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Multiple myeloma (MM), a neoplastic proliferation of plasma cells originating from the B-cell line, is associated with deleterious complications and poor outcomes. The failure of conventional combination chemotherapies to improve the overall survival of patients with MM has led to the use of high-dose chemotherapy supported by stem cell transplantation (SCT). Although several novel therapies have emerged since the late 1990s, their survival benefits are undetermined. Highdose chemotherapy with SCT provides better response rates compared to conventional chemotherapy and yields a trend toward greater survival benefits, especially with the use of a tandem (two successive) transplantation strategy. This article discusses standard SCT in patients with MM and some of the new transplantation strategies, including tandem autologous SCTs and reduced-intensity nonmyeloablative allogeneic SCT, and their implications for nursing.The role of high-dose chemotherapy supported by stem cell transplantation (SCT) as a safe and effective therapy for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) is well established (Singhal, 2002). Since the 1990s, myeloma treatment advances have been made in the transplantation arena, but major challenges still lie ahead to improve overall survival (Barlogie et al., 2004). Several transplantation-related strategies have emerged, including tandem (i.e., two successive) autologous SCTs (ASCTs), autologous followed by allogeneic SCT, nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplantation, and sequential ASCTs followed by Author Contact: Anna Liza Rodriguez, RN, BSN, OCN ® , can be reached at anrodrig@nmh.org, with copy to editor at CJONEditor@ons.org. No financial relationships to disclose. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptClin J Oncol Nurs. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 October 17. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplantation, all in an effort to improve overall survival (Hari, Pasquini, & Vesole, 2006). Although several novel agents such as thalidomide, bortezomib, and lenalidomide have been effective in the treatment of MM, their impact on overall survival and quality of life in patients with MM is unclear . This article discusses standard SCT in patients with MM, some of the newer transplantation strategies (e.g., tandem ASCT, reduced-intensity nonmyeloablative allogeneic SCT) and their implications for nursing. Multiple Myeloma OverviewMM is the abnormal clonal proliferation of plasma cells originating from the B-cell line. An estimated 19,900 new myeloma cases and 10,790 deaths caused by the disease are anticipated in (Jemal et al., 2007. Many patients diagnosed with myeloma tend to be older (median age at diagnosis is 66), but some cases in patients younger than 40 have been reported (Kyle et al., 2003).MM is a neoplastic growth from the single clone of a plasma cell that became aberrant and proliferated in an uncontrolled pattern with eventual accumulation in the bone marrow. Myeloma cells produce abnormal and dysfuncti...

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