Abu Dhabi:The inaugural Emirates Hematology Forum began on Saturday at Rosewood Abu Dhabi, convening specialists from the UAE alongside renowned international experts. The forum aims to discuss recent advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of blood disorders, focusing on immunotherapies, targeted treatments, and emerging cellular therapies.
According to Wam, the forum's program will delve into emerging treatment strategies for multiple myeloma, including immunotherapies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). It will also explore approaches to sequencing treatments based on patients' conditions and responses.
Additional sessions will cover advances in managing lymphoma and leukaemia, with discussions on the potential for chemotherapy-free treatments in selected cases. Strategies for addressing patients whose disease is unresponsive to treatment or experiences relapse post-therapy will also be examined.
The forum will further address myeloid diseases, such as acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Topics will include stem cell transplantation, Hodgkin lymphoma, and complications related to newer therapies, including bleeding and thrombosis.
Emirati physician-scientist Dr. Ajlan Al Zaki, Consultant Physician in the Hematology and Blood Cancer Department at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Chair of the Forum, emphasized the role of immunotherapies in cancer treatment. He noted that these therapies are becoming integral to the standard care for patients with haematological malignancies.
Dr. Al Zaki also highlighted advances in gene therapies for non-malignant blood disorders like sickle cell disease and thalassaemia. These involve modifying patients' stem cells to help restore the production of functional haemoglobin. He further discussed developments in cancer vaccines, both therapeutic and preventive, and advances in disease detection and monitoring, such as tests for measurable residual disease (MRD) and circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) analysis. These innovations aim to detect disease earlier, identify patients at higher risk of relapse, and guide timely treatment decisions before clinical symptoms appear.