Highlights From the October 2025 Oncology Issues

The October issue of the Association of Cancer Care Centers’ (ACCC) peer-reviewed, bimonthly journal, Oncology Issues, has 7 feature articles offering insights and solutions that are valuable to every member of the multidisciplinary cancer care team. 

Current ACCC President, Una Hopkins, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, RN, FACCC, selected Designing Oncology Care to Meet the Needs of a Growing Patient Population as the 2025-2026 President’s Theme. Many of this issue’s articles showcase how our member institutions are pursuing this goal through scalable workforce development, empowering patients to take charge of their own care, and more. Read on for a preview of all the articles, covering topics from exercise oncology to aligning clinical and administrative teams and beyond. 

Building a Scalable Model to Train the Next Generation of Oncology Leaders 

With an aging population, rising cancer rates, and economic uncertainty, the demand for skilled oncology professionals continues to outpace the current supply. Many programs have enacted initiatives to address some of the acute issues, such as burnout and administrative burdens, but Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center has taken a long-term approach to oncology worker shortages. 

VCU Massey has developed a scalable, cancer-focused research training and education continuum to cultivate the next generation of oncology professionals. This article details the structure and implementation of this pathway program that proactively addresses the impending wave of workforce shortages. Mentors and mentees in the program share their experiences and how a well-designed training program is already impacting VCU Massey’s workforce. 

Empowering Patients to Disconnect Their Chemotherapy at Home 

Wilmot Cancer Institute is also innovating to compensate for workforce shortages. In this case, it is focused on significant nursing shortages, how cancer programs can rethink the way care is delivered, and which aspects of treatment may be managed by patients at home.  

Wilmot Cancer Institute designed an education initiative to empower patients to self-disconnect from certain chemotherapy infusions at home. A survey of patients who participated in this initiative reported feeling more control and less stress around their infusions. Read the full article for more details on the benefits of this kind of patient education program, including less travel, lower costs, and higher satisfaction for patients, as well as reduced workload for oncology nurses.  

One Purpose, One Passion, 2 Directions: How to Bring Together Clinical and Administrative Leaders 

Alignment and collaboration between clinicians and administrators are increasingly important for delivering high-quality, cost-effective care. Barbara J. Schmidtman, PhD, FACCC, administrator, and Subodh Jain, MD, clinician, both from Corewell Health, collaborated on this article detailing tools and insights to foster a positive relationship between these 2 perspectives in oncology. 

Explore strategies to increase communication, build trust, and improve relationships, ensuring the creation of safe and supportive environments for team members and patients. Case studies accompany actionable tips to illustrate common challenges and the benefits of prioritizing a clinical-administrative partnership. 

From Fatigue to Function: Redefining Rural Cancer Care Through Exercise Oncology 

Beyond fighting cancer, patients in rural regions often face isolation, long travel distances, and limited access to rehabilitative services throughout their care journey. Self Regional Healthcare sought to transform survivorship care by integrating exercise through its scalable, patient-centered, data-driven model that supports healing with strength and dignity. 

Exercise interventions have been found to improve treatment tolerability, reduce toxicity, enhance mental health, and restore independence. This article details how Self Regional Healthcare created its program tailored to patients in rural areas, and how it may be recreated and scaled up for other cancer programs. 

COVID-19 Narratives: Stories from the Oncology Setting 

The COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges in cancer care, many of which affected patient groups differently depending on race, socioeconomic status, location, and other social drivers of health. This study explores how patients with cancer navigated these challenges, highlighting the coping mechanisms of African American and White patients. 

Through in-depth interviews and well-being assessments, the authors collected and analyzed data about how racial inequities in health care were affected by the unique challenges of a global pandemic. Read the full article for valuable insights that can be applied to the development of more resilient, patient-centered support systems. 

Unlocking the Conversation: Navigating ESR1 Mutations in Metastatic Breast Cancer 

Maimah Karmo, MBA, breast cancer survivor and patient advocate, has spoken to many patients whose tumors have changed midway through treatment. For example, up to about half of women with metastatic ER+/HER2– breast cancer will develop a mutation of the ESR1 gene following hormone therapy that affects how their cancer will respond to further lines of therapy. 

In this article, Karmo and colleagues share practical strategies for helping patients understand ESR1 mutations, how they can alter treatment selection and disease course, and the importance of timely genomic testing in this comprehensive guide. Explore common barriers to the genetic testing used to identify ESR1 mutations and solutions to make this intervention accessible for patients.  

Multidisciplinary Approaches to Treating Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma 

Follicular lymphoma, a slow-growing type of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, often follows a chronic cycle of remission and relapse. There are several available options for second-line therapy with a complex set of patient- and disease-specific factors that must be considered to select appropriate treatments in the case of relapse. 

Designed to support cancer programs and care teams in delivering and coordinating care for patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, this guide offers insights from a national landscape analysis; explores 7 key domains related to care practices; and highlights the experiences shared by multidisciplinary providers, patients, and patient advocates. 

Beyond the Features 

Other valuable content in Oncology Issues includes columns from Editor-in-Chief Krista Nelson, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, FAPOS, FACCC, and 2025-2026 ACCC President Una Hopkins, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, RN, FACCC. Contributors have also provided a recap of the 2025 Policy Town Hall hosted by oncology state societies, insights on the recently proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Prospective Payment System from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the story of creating award-winning patient education tools for lung and breast cancer nodules, and a spotlight on ACCC program member Southern Cancer Center. Read the full October 2025 edition of Oncology Issues to immerse yourself and your colleagues in the diverse perspectives offered by our contributors.