Blood cancers (leukemias) are life-threatening diseases that can devastate the lives of patients and their families. Great progress has been made in treatments to improve the survival of these otherwise invariably fatal conditions. Major advances in the understanding of leukemia genetics for genome sequencing of individual patients has taken us one step further towards realizing personalized medicine for many patients.

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) our understanding of how modifications to DNA molecules that do not result in sequence change (i.e., epigenetic changes) can lead to the development of the disease has paved the way for new more targeted treatments. We will hear about how these new epigenetic targets can be exploited to maintain remission after patients have completed the initial intensive phase of their treatment. 

For patients with potentially pre-leukemic diseases, MDS (myelodysplastic syndromes), further advances realized through gene sequencing have greatly advanced our understanding of disease biology of both MDS and leukemia. We will hear about how developments in understanding have identified alterations in the regulatory machinery that control epigenetic changes and protein formation might be possible targets for novel drug treatments. We will also hear about how adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at risk of relapse, might be identified early before they develop any symptoms. The results of these exciting studies will be presented at the 19th Congress of EHA. 

 About EHA

The European Hematology Association (EHA) is a non-profit scientific association that represents European medical professionals with an active interest in hematology (blood disorders). EHA was founded in June 1992 to promote excellence in clinical practice, research and education in European hematology.EHA offers education and training and fosters the mobility of hematologists in Europe and travelling to Europe through its fellowships and grants program. In addition, EHA focuses on outreach programs that complement the needs in hematology education not only in Europe but also in other regions. 

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