Meeting Report: European School of Haematology International Conference of Haema…

The European School of Haematology (ESH) hosted an international meeting on haematological disorders in the elderly in Barcelona from November 6 to 7, 2013.
Chairs of the meeting were L. Balducci, M. Björkholm, and P. Fenaux. The local organizer: E. Montserrat. The meeting was organized to provide a comprehensive review of the aspects to be considered when managing elderly patients with a variety of hematological disturbances.

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EHA - Access to Medicine

Report the unavailability of Hematology Medicines to EHA today!

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Major research funding calls are out now

In the course of one day – December 11, 2013 – two calls for applications and expressions of interest were published that are of interest to researchers in hematology.

 

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The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Hosts its Second …

CASCAIS, PORTUGAL: The ISTH is hosting its Second Annual Advanced Training Course on Thrombosis and Haemostasis on March 13-16, 2014, at the Hotel Quinta da Marinha in Cascais, Portugal. As part of the Society’s mission, the course will provide the latest training in the treatment of thrombosis and bleeding disorder management to meet the needs of hematologists and related specialists around the world. Space is limited to only 200 participants; early registration is recommended to ensure availability.

The meeting will provide three full days of intense examination on the subjects of blood coagulation and bleeding disorders, platelets and venous thrombosis. Leading scientists with vast experience in education will deliver focused lectures followed by ample time for discussion and close interaction with the participants. Meet the Expert sessions will be devoted to discussion groups with the day’s speakers. There will also be interactive sessions in the evening with exercises relating to the analysis of the topics discussed during the day or on clinical case studies. A formal program is available here.

 

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EHA-SWG Scientific Meeting: Focus on Thrombocytopenia & platelet function disord…

The second EHA-SWG Scientific Meeting, titled Focus on Thrombocytopenia & platelet function disorders took place in Lisbon, Portugal, from September 27-29, 2013.

The meeting was chaired by Roberto Stasi, MD from the Heamtology Unit from St. George`s Hospital, London, UK.

101 participants attended the meeting from Europe, Middle-East, Australia and United States. Attendance included faculty members, trained and in training doctors involved in the field of platelet disorders.

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Research must provide ‘more good news on outcomes’ while patients need simple an…

Hematology is one of few medical disciplines that have made significant steps in realizing the promise of personalized medicine. Together with ESMO and Eurocan Platform and in the context of our membership of the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM), EHA was involved in the organization of a Roundtable  ‘Oncology/Haematology: How to provide the right prevention and treatment to the right patient at the right time’.

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Sanquin Blood Supply will culture erythrocytes for transfusion purposes

Transfusion of erythrocytes is the most common form of cellular therapy. It rapidly restores the oxygen supply to the tissues in patients suffering from sudden blood loss, reduced erythrocyte production following for instance cytotoxic cancer treatment, or in patients suffering from chronic anemia due to congenital diseases such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Matching transfusions for ABO and Rh-D blood group antigens is in general sufficient for successful transfusion. However, over 300 additional blood group antigens are known, against which we do not normally generate antibodies, and that are not matched for in general transfusion practice.

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Position of EHA on Access to Medicines

Access to medicines is a fundamental element of the human right to health. While recognizing the need to keep our health systems affordable, we see great danger in hematologists having to prioritize patients, substitute standard for improvised regimens or choose unproven treatment options. As part of our mission to promote excellence in clinical practice in hematology we call upon the EU to promote knowledge building, increase transparency and take evidence-based measures that remove unnecessary barriers to patient access to medicines in Europe.

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Position of EHA on the Harmonization of Training and Education in Europe

Trainees and specialists in hematology must be fit for practice. It is our mission to promote excellence in education in European hematology. To improve patient care and public health it is essential to raise and maintain the skills and competences of hematologists to an equally high standard across European countries. Therefore, we aim to harmonize and improve training and education in hematology in Europe.

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Position of EHA on Research Funding

It’s in the blood of hematologists to do research. It is our mission to promote research in European hematology. To sustain and improve research in blood disorders, it is essential to secure funding. Therefore, we seek to improve funding opportunities for research in blood disorders in Europe.

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Position of EHA on Clinical Trials

It’s in the blood of hematologists to do research. It is our mission to promote research in European hematology. To sustain and improve the discovery (or the verification of the effects) of medicines to treat blood disorders it is essential that the requirements for clinical research add value, especially where investigator-driven research is concerned. Therefore we seek to improve the regulations for the performance of clinical trials of blood disorders in Europe.

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Position of EHA on Personalized Medicine

Personalized medicine is revolutionizing the way blood disorders are managed and researched. It is our mission to promote excellence in research, education, and clinical practice in hematology. To achieve this, it is important to promote personalized medicine. Therefore, we seek to improve the conditions that allow for the support of personalized medicine.

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Targeting the B-cell Receptor in Aggressive B-cell Lymphomas

Stockholm, June 14, 2013 Dr Wyndham Wilson will give an update on recent developments in the treatment of lymphomas with small molecules. The last 30 years have seen a plethora of treatments for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) but few advances have been made. Recent studies have identified B-cell receptor signaling as critical for many B-cell lymphomas including the most common type, called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Recent studies have shown that DLBCL is actually not a single disease but at least 3 different diseases, each with its own critical abnormalities that allow it to survive as a malignancy.  The most difficult to treat type of DLBCL is called the Activated B-cell (ABC) subtype, which is dependent on abnormal signaling of the B-cell receptor (BCR). Work by Dr. Lou Staudt has shown that these tumors will die when this pathway is inhibited.

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Pomalidomide prolongs survival in refractory myeloma patients

Stockholm, June 14, 2013 Dr Jesus San-Miguel will present promising results of a phase 3 study in multiple myeloma.
Treatment for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has improved over the last decade due to the introduction of new drugs such as lenalidomide and bortezomib. However, after receiving multiple treatments, MM patients often become resistant (refractory) to these drugs and have an average survival of only 9 months.

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Daratumumab, a CD38 monoclonal antibody study in advanced multiple myeloma – an…

Stockholm, June 14, 2013 Dr Henk Lokhorst will present the results from a phase I/II study in advanced Multiple Myeloma.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological cancer. It is a cancer of plasma cells and it accounts for approx. 1% of all cancers. At present, no cure is available. The 5-year relative survival rate for multiple myeloma is around 40% so there is a strong need for new treatment modalities to improve the survival.

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