Board Review 2026: Top Hematology/Oncology Topics to Know

Two Onc Docs, hosted by Samantha A. Armstrong, MD, and Karine Tawagi, MD, is a podcast dedicated to providing current and future oncologists and hematologists with the knowledge they need to ace their boards and deliver quality patient care. Dr Armstrong is a hematologist/oncologist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis. Dr Tawagi is a hematologist/oncologist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

In this episode, OncLive On Air^® partnered with Two Onc Docs to deliver a board exam preparation guide for the days leading up to the American Board of Internal Medicine hematology and oncology certification exams, offering test-day strategies and a rapid-fire review of high-yield topics.

The discussion began with exam logistics, noting back-to-back testing days on November 17 (hematology) and November 18 (oncology). Drs Armstrong and Tawagi encouraged examinees to use the exam blueprint to prioritize high-yield topics, such as gastrointestinal, breast, genitourinary, and lung cancers in oncology and neoplasms in hematology, and to prepare for the endurance required to read lengthy clinical vignettes.

Regarding oncology content, they reviewed topics to know regarding stage II and III non–small cell lung cancer, including staging, perioperative immunotherapy regimens, driver-directed adjuvant therapy, and the clinical implications of the phase 3 PACIFIC trial (NCT02125461). They then covered high-yield breast cancer topics, such as HER2-positive regimens, the 21-gene recurrence score assay cutoffs, triple-negative adjuvant strategies, and use of PARP inhibitors in patients with BRCA mutations.

For hematology, they emphasized the malignant hematologic conditions, hemoglobin electrophoresis, von Willebrand disease subtypes, and inherited bone marrow failure syndromes, including dyskeratosis congenita, Fanconi anemia, and Diamond-Blackfan anemia.

Drs Armstrong and Tawagi also highlighted other testable areas, including black box warnings, clinical research methodology, ethics, performance status–guided decision-making, and supportive care. They concluded with wellness advice, cautioning against last-minute cramming, and recommended revisiting their prior board review episodes.