CONGRESS NEWS

Highlights of ASH 2013 on Lymphoma

Many important advances in the knowledge and treatment of lymphoma were presented in New Orleans during the 2013 ASH meeting.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2014;5(1):31–32)

News in sickle cell disease

Summary

During the twelfth meeting dedicated to sickle cell disease and hereditary red cell disorders held in Brussels on 21 February 2013, several topics related to major aspects for the management of sickle cell disease were presented. Six of them are summarised.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2013;4(3): 115–116)

Summary of the BVAC/ABCA program hosted by the general annual meeting of the BHS in Ghent, Friday January 25 2013

Summary

For the first time, during the course of its general annual meeting, the BHS hosted a satellite meeting organized by the Belgian Society for Analytical Cytology (BVAC/ABCA) to bring together clinicians with laboratory scientists and staff. The BVAC/ABCA program included state-of-the-art lectures, followed by a session focused on advances in genetic testing of haematological malignancies and finally a satellite symposium sponsored by Alexion on the deficiencies of complement regulators leading to thrombotic micro-angiopathies (TMA). All these presentations are available on the BVAC/ABCA website: http://www.cytometry.be/Gent2013.html

(BELG J HEMATOL 2013;4(2):77–82)

Best of ASH

Summary

From the 8^th till the 11^th of December 2012, Atlanta, Georgia formed the background for the 54^th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). With more than 20,000 attendees from 108 countries, the ASH annual meeting again proved to be without question the premier hematology meeting in the world. This report does not aim to summarise the entire meeting, but simply lists the key messages from this years’ meeting. For more elaborate information on the meeting, and a complete overview of the presented abstracts we would like to refer to the ASH website, www.hematology.org.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2013;1:39–42)

The EBMT Congress in Geneva

Summary

From April 1 till 4 2012, the 38^th Annual Meeting of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) was held in Geneva. The feld of stem cell transplantation keeps on growing, with more than 30,000 transplants being reported to the EBMT in 2010. Some of the highlights of this meeting are briefly summarised.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2012;3:109–111)

Best of EHA

Summary

The six best abstracts submitted at the European Hematology Association (EHA), 17^th Meeting, 2012, Amsterdam were selected for the presidential symposium. Two of them were related to the whole exome analysis: one in T-acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) and one in multiple myeloma (MM).

(BELG J HEMATOL 2012;3:112–113)

The 6 International Conference on Thrombosis and Haemostasis Issues in Cancer (ICTHIC)

Summary

It has become a tradition to hold the biennial International Conference on Thrombosis and Haemostasis Issues in Cancer (ICTHIC) in Bergamo. Bergamo is a quiet town in Northern Italy located on a hilltop beyond the Alps. Over 700 physicians with different backgrounds but the same interest attended the meeting this year from April 20^th to April 22^nd. The meeting provides a unique opportunity for reviewing the different molecular and clinical findings on thrombosis and hemostasis issues in cancer and for updating the guidelines on prophylaxis and treatment of Venous Thrombo-Embolic Events (VTE) in cancer patients. This congress report covers several key topics: duration of prophylaxis in cancer patients undergoing surgery, prevention in medical cancer patients, type and duration of VTE treatment in cancer patients, place of the newer anti-thrombotic agents in cancer patients and survival advantage of Low-Weight Molecular Heparins (LWMH).

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2012;6:114–117)