BSH 2017 | Why do charities need to keep funding research into leukemia and blood cancer in general?
John Gribben, MD, DSc, FRCPath, FMed Sci, from the Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK, explains why continued funding for research into leukemia and blood cancer is needed at the 2017 British Society for Haematology (BSH) Annual Scientific Meeting in Brighton, UK. He highlights that cancer research in the UK is very dependent on the charitable sector, but explains that funding for leukemia and blood cancers is challenged by medical oncologists in other cancer areas where advances have been much more limited. Prof. Gribben argues that this is a short-sighted approach, and points out that many advances in cancer treatment have come from increased understanding of blood cancers, where cancer cells are readily accessible and pathophysiological mechanisms can be more easily investigated. Moving forward, he speaks about the important contribution of charities, particularly in funding young investigators, and emphasizes the value of supporting further research to develop treatments.
