La Cantera in Lyon—a coaching event round-up

A report by the event organizers about the annual ‘La Cantera’ event held by the EHA Lymphoma Group and the Fondazione Italiana sui Linfomi (FIL).

La Cantera 2025 was held in Lyon, France, from April 1–4, 2025.

The designated special coach was Prof Gilles Salles, Head of the Lymphoma Service at the Department of Medicine of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA. He addressed the topic: ‘The Changing Landscape in the Management of Patients with Follicular and Large B-cell Lympomas.’

Prof Salles arrived on Tuesday, April 1, in the afternoon so he could meet with the ‘team’ in the late afternoon. This year, that team consisted of 20 young hematologists.

Sessions

The course, as always, was divided into sessions:

  • Pathogenesis and Pathology of Follicular Lymphoma: Current Concepts and Open Issues
  • Follicular Lymphoma: Individualizing Therapeutic Management Decisions at Presentation
  • Sequencing of Therapies in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma (1)
  • Sequencing of Therapies in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma (2)
  • Bispecific Antibodies and Cellular Therapies in B-Cell Lymphomas: Advances and Challenges
  • Current Developments in the Management of Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
  • Navigating Treatment Paradigms for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma)

These were followed by discussions and parathetic examples on April 2 and 3.

‘Trainees’ Dreams and Proposals’ sessions

The afternoon of April 3 was devoted to the session ‘Trainees’ Dreams and Proposals’ (Part I), in which the young hematologists, divided into four groups of five, were able to develop their proposals.

The next morning, April 4, then opened with the session ‘Trainees’ Dreams and Proposals’ (Part II). Each group of trainees had about 10 minutes to present the proposal they’d developed during their training with Prof Salles to the assembly, coach, and Faculty.

Afterwards, during the session ‘Trainees’ Dreams and Proposals’ (Part III), the coach and other Faculty members evaluated the submitted proposals and decided on the winning group in a final session called ‘The winner is…?’

The winning proposal was no. 3: ‘Lights on treatment choice and QOL in the era of T-cell engager therapies in r/r fl.’

The following prizes were also awarded:

  • Best presentation
  • Best unmet need
  • Best research question

Event feedback

Additionally, we distributed a satisfaction questionnaire, which yielded very positive evaluations of the La Cantera format and the 2025 edition. Coach Salles proved capable of arousing interest and efficiently involving and coordinating the group. After analyzing the various responses, they addressed topics that appeared clear and close to the reality of the work and real problems.

La Cantera 2025 was found to be consistent with the participants’ expectations and valuable for their professional growth. They liked the premises used for the course (the spaces and equipment were judged to be well aligned with the teaching requirements) and the hospitality.

Finally, the organizational aspects were also found to be suitable and valuable for the completeness and timeliness of the service information.

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