Myeloma UK at BSH2025: Listening, learning, leading
The British Society of Haematology’s Annual Scientific Meeting, BSH2025, showcased leading national and international speakers and over 350 posters and e-posters, providing extensive learning opportunities for all in attendance.
In its 65th year, the annual event took place at the Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow over three days (27–29 April) and included the latest research from clinicians, researchers, charities and industry partners across a huge range of haematology topics.
For Myeloma UK colleagues, BSH2025 was an opportunity to learn, to connect and to share our expertise and deliver the patient voice to leading myeloma researchers.
Finding ways to live better and longer lives
The Myeloma UK team presented three posters this year, spanning our research, policy and clinical practice expertise.
Celebrating 10 years of excellence
Dr Rhys Owens, from the Clinical Service Excellence Programme (CSEP) team at Myeloma UK, celebrated 10 years of CSEP with his poster, reflecting on the impact the programme has had on myeloma patient care. The poster highlights that during this time, CSEP has:
- Awarded accreditation to 73 hospitals demonstrating excellence in myeloma care.
- Encouraged knowledge sharing between clinicians.
- Supported hospitals to make patient-centred developments to services.
- Facilitated the creation of 10 new patient support groups.
Find out more about Rhys’ experience at BSH2025, view his poster or learn more about bringing CSEP to your hospital.
Risk stratification in myeloma
Sarah Galley, Senior Innovation and Implementation Officer, presented an e-poster focused on work undertaken by the Myeloma UK Patient Advocacy team about risk stratification of myeloma in the UK. The poster highlights the need for a clear agreement on how risk groups are defined, so that all patients receive consistent care. It also identifies a lack of approved treatments for people living with high-risk myeloma and notes the scarcity of clinical trials available for this patient group.
Hear more about this work from our Head of Patient Advocacy, Dr Scott Purdon, or click here to view Sarah’s poster.
Heart and circulatory disease in myeloma
Dr Romi Carriere, Research Fellow and member of the Applied Health Research team at Myeloma UK, shared her systematic review about the source of heart and circulatory diseases in myeloma patients in her e-poster. Emphasising the importance of holistic patient-centred approaches to care and the need for targeted research in underrepresented groups, Romi summarises the current knowledge, and gaps, in the literature. Click to view Romi’s poster.
Romi spoke to us ahead of BSH2025 – find out more and take part in the discussion.
Conversation and collaboration
People affected with myeloma are at the heart of everything we do. Myeloma UK’s Head of Patient Advocacy, Dr Scott Purdon, represented the voices of people affected by myeloma at BSH2025 during a panel discussion entitled ‘Translating the potential of Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) testing in haematological malignancies into clinical practice in the NHS’.
The expert panel consisted of Scott, Dr Piers Patten, Dr Karthik Ramasamy, and Dr Dima El-Sharkawi, and was led by Professor Martin Kaiser. Discussion focused on the anticipated benefits of routinely-accessible MRD testing such as individualised de-escalation of treatment, as well as the many challenges to getting MRD testing into clinical practice – from health economics and commissioning, infrastructure and policy challenges to psychological impact on patients.
Myeloma UK colleagues further contributed to BSH2025 through co-authorship of three further posters. Francesca McArthur, Advanced Cancer Care Haematology Pharmacist at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow, presented a poster, co-authored with Myeloma UK’s Monica Morris (Clinical Practice Programme Manager) and Dr Suzanne Renwick (Head of Clinical Practice) and colleagues, on the use of the Myeloma Treatment Scheduler (MyeTx Scheduler) in myeloma patients in the UK. Click here to view the poster.
Dr Sandra Quinn, Principal Researcher in Applied Health Research, also co-authored two posters with Pfizer about patient and carer experiences of living with myeloma, a collaboration working to extend the impact of patient voice across industry and clinic alike. You can view the abstracts, BSH25-EP49 and BSH25-EP50, in the abstract booklet.
Shared knowledge driving change
BSH2025 brought together a wealth of myeloma expertise, with the latest outcomes of key clinical trials, early insight into a novel treatments and excellent innovation in clinical practice to ensure better care and deliver of treatments for patients. The Haematology-Oncology Guidelines Workshop provided expert discussion from Dr Jennifer Pinney, Dr Matthew Jenner and Professor Martin Kaiser on the topics of:
- Management of relapsed myeloma.
A highlight alongside the myeloma Top Abstracts was Professor Gordon Cook’s presentation of data from the UKMRA Myeloma XIV FiTNEss trial, which emphasised the import of upfront frailty assessment. Identifying that adjusting induction treatment with ixazomib (Ninlaro®), lenalidomide (Revlimid®) and dexamethasone could be advantageous for patients, the work also recognised the benefit of early involvement of geriatricians as part of the MDT.
This year’s inspiring event has reaffirmed the UK’s role in ground-breaking research, innovation and patient care. With this shared knowledge and collaboration at the heart of myeloma research, together we can increase the pace of change for everyone affected by myeloma.
