My recent attendance at the European Haematology Association (EHA) National Societies' Day reinforced the growing importance of “borderless haematology” and how it strengthens our field. The collaborative spirit and exchange of best society practices between the 36 European countries represented on the day were truly stimulating. We are not the oldest society, with Germany, Poland and Switzerland being at least 15 years older than the BSH, but we are by far the biggest. However, we face many common challenges, and it was helpful to learn the approaches of others. In turn, I was proud to present the BSH strategy and our current portfolio of activities, including our educational and research initiatives and those of our special interest groups.
Our links with the EHA continue to strengthen and many already take advantage of our joint membership. The president, Antonio Almeida will join me in chairing the combined plenary session at our Annual Scientific Meeting in Glasgow. This will focus on supportive care. Professors Simon Stanworth and Malgorzata Mikulska will discuss UK and European advances in optimising the general health of haematology patients through appropriate transfusion and antimicrobial strategies.
Britain is a leader in advanced therapies and was the first national health system in Europe to commission CAR-T cellular therapy for blood cancers. However, the closure of the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) in 2024, due to unsustainable funding, has been disappointing for haemato-oncology researchers.
In place of this, a new UK Collaborative for Cancer Clinical Research (UKCCCR) was launched on 4th February, World Cancer Day. Hosted by the Association of Medical Research Charities, this collaboration between academia, charities, industry and the NHS, aims to identify strategic priorities and hopefully unlock further research opportunities.
BSH was represented at a Parliamentary Round table this week organised by the Blood Cancer Alliance, who recently published a report highlighting the lower proportion of blood cancer therapies being approved in Technology Assessments by NICE than for other cancers. The issue is complex, with many therapies being withdrawn by the industry before the appraisal can be completed. We will be working with other stakeholders to try to identify the barriers of getting these drugs to market.
Despite the many challenges, much haematology research is taking place. Nearly 500 abstracts were submitted for this year’s Annual Scientific meeting, which is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. Additionally, there have been an astonishing 328 applications for Cohort 4 of our AI fellowship programme. It has been inspiring to see such great ideas for use of digitalisation and AI models to aid the diagnosis and management of haematological conditions. I wish the five chosen projects the best of luck at the start of their journey.
The BSH Board met last week and central to our discussions was the incredible work being done by our SIGs and committees. I am looking forward to our second SIG focus day later in March when our SIG chairs will come together to share ideas and good practice. Since the first focus day, towards the end of 2024, there have been 14 committee and SIG meetings, 40 grants awarded and 46 guidelines in preparation! That adds up to a huge amount of time but I hear constantly from those of you volunteering with us how much you enjoy it and the benefits to your career. We have a couple of vacancies on committees and would love to hear the voices of those of you who don’t already support us in this way. It is also election time for the board with a very impressive group of candidates standing from right across the profession. Please do take a look when the election email drops from Civica on 3 March.
On a more sombre note, the recent inquest into the death of a 6-year-old girl following a bone marrow biopsy confirmed a heartbreaking tragedy. This loss underscores the critical need for continuous improvement in the safety and efficacy of our procedures. We are planning several actions to address this issue, largely building on some proposals originated by Dr Joe Taylor and his colleagues at Barts Health. Patient and trainee surveys and literature review will be undertaken, with results used for a good practice paper on Better Bone Marrow. We will provide a comprehensive consent form, which can be downloaded and adapted for local use, and also aim to establish and support a bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsy training course. This tragic event prompts us to re-evaluate our safety protocols and reaffirm our commitment to ensure that the highest standards of care are met. Trainees, do please complete the survey coming your way.