T. Feys MBA, MSc

Highlights in chronic myeloid leukemia

With respect to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology featured the following sessions: The CML educational session, 3 oral sessions with 6 abstract presentations each, and a long list of posters. This report will briefly summarize the key messages from the educational session discussing the choice of first-line treatment in CML patients. The highlights from the oral and poster sessions will be grouped in three categories: new drugs in CML, treatment-free remission (TFR) and CML and pregnancy.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2019;10(1):31–5)

Highlights in lymphoma

This article will summarize the key studies in the field of lymphoma presented at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). The selected abstracts include updates in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We would like to thank Dr. Christophe Bonnet (CHU de Liège) for his help in selecting the most relevant lymphoma abstracts from the ASH program.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2019;10(1):41–8)

Should we measure DOACs?

At the time of the introduction of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in the beginning of this century, episodic and routine monitoring of these drug concentrations was deemed unnecessary. Unlike oral vitamin K anticoagulation, DOACs showed predictable pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. However, once in clinical practice it became clear that under specific circumstances predictability of drug concentrations was less than optimal. During his educational presentation, Prof Johathan Douxfils (Univeristy of Namur) provided some answers to the questions why, when, and how we should measure DOAC concentrations.

State of the Art I: Thrombosis

The first state of the art session of the 2018 annual BSTH meeting focused on thrombosis. While Dr. Anna Falanga (Hopsital Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy) and Dr. Cihan Ay (Medical university of Vienna, Austria) specifically addressed the close relationship between thrombosis and cancer, Dr. Walter Ageno (Ospedale di Circolo, Varese, Italy) discussed the practicalities of managing splanchnic (SVT) and cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT).

Accomplishments and prospects in haemostasis

With “Looking back at the history of haemostasis with a sneak peek into the future”, Marc Hoylaerts (Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology, KU Leuven, LEUVEN, Belgium) gave his personal view on the field of haemostasis. He did this in the lecture in memory of and named after Professor Gaston Baele, who became the first president of the BSTH over 25 years ago.

The new mechanism of autoimmunity is a HIT

Starting off the second day of the annual meeting of the BSTH, Andreas Greinacher (Greifswald, Germany) presented on the mechanism behind heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). A mechanism that is part of an evolutionary old defence mechanism against prokaryotic pathogens. However, when misdirected this pathway displays an until recently unknown mechanism of autoimmunity.

Micro-organisms and coagulation

The coagulation system is rarely left alone. Microorganisms, both harmless and harmful, can affect the function of the system, which can have clinical consequences of variable severity. The second State of the art session, entitled “microorganisms as an environmental factor”, chaired by prof. Simon De Meyer and dr. Muriel Sprynger featured several presentations on the interactions between these small lifeforms and thrombosis and haemostasis.