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Cutting Edge Research in the Field of Haematology

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The European School of Haematology (ESH) in association with the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) has presented the eleventh training course in the rapidly advancing field of blood and marrow transplantation. The meeting is an annual conference attended by numerous doctors and researchers in the field of haematology. The eleventh meeting took place in Spain during April of this year. Clinical experts from various countries came to present their state of the art research. The conference provided attendees with insights into the best treatments for diseases such as myeloma, lymphoma and other tumours.

Due to the dynamic and rapidly developing nature of medicine, scientific conferences and meetings are held on a frequent basis to allow the newest research findings to be presented to doctors and other medical experts. This allows medical practitioners to remain up to date with research findings so they can provide the very best available treatment to their patients. The eleventh ‘European School of Haematology (ESH) and European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) training course on blood and marrow transplantation’ is an example of such a conference which aimed to update medical professionals in the field of haematology. Haematology is a unique medical field concerned with the study of blood, the agents responsible for producing blood, and blood diseases. Recent decades have seen rapid advances in this field particularly associated with blood and bone marrow transplantation. Haemopoietic stem cell transplantation specifically refers to the transplantation of stem cells (primary cells which can mature into different cell lines) from the bone marrow or blood. This procedure is used to treat disease of the blood and bone marrow such as leukaemia and certain cancers. Transplantation is a complex and risky procedure which requires careful selection of patients, intense donor selection, a variety of preparative processes and careful follow-up and treatment to ensure the best results. The transplantation conference explored some of these complicated factors. The eleventh ESH-EBMT meeting was conducted in April of 2007. The meeting took place at the beautiful setting of Alicante, one of the oldest and fastest growing cities of Spain. The meeting acted as an educational and scientific conference for the various doctors attending. The three and a half day program included lectures, seminars, power-point presentations, workshops, case presentations, intense discussions and meetings with experts. The overall aim of the course was to provide medical professionals access to the newest and cutting-edge knowledge in the field of haematology. Similar to its predecessors, the eleventh meeting was highly successful and attended by numerous international experts within the field. Amongst the vast number of topics discussed at the meeting, the treatment of multiple myeloma formed particular interest. Dr. Harousseau provided his insights into the treatment of this disease which is a cancer of plasma cells (a type of immune cell in the body). Dr. Harousseau discussed the role of transplantation that can potentially cure the disease but itself acts as a risky procedure. Newer transplantation techniques however offer new promise and new chemotherapy agents such as thalidomide and bortezomib (Velcade) may improve outcomes when used in conjunction with transplantation. The latter offers some hope to patients who have failed other treatments. You should discuss with your doctor whether transplantation of your own cells (autologous transplant), donor cell transplant (allogeneic) or chemotherapy is the most suitable treatment for you. The ESH-EBMT meeting therefore updated medical professionals on the most recent advances in haematology research. This should help doctors to treat patients with myeloma, leukaemia, anaemia and other blood diseases with the best and safest methods available. The meeting should also stimulate further research into this field. The twelfth ESH-EBMT transplantation meeting is set to be held in April of 2008.


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Posted On: 31 August, 2007
Modified On: 16 January, 2014

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