III International Conference "Comprehensive treatment of plasma cell dyscrasias in 2014"

Krakow, Saturday, 13 September 2014

On 13 September 2014 at 3 p.m., the Stary Hotel in Kraków hosted the III International Conference: “Comprehensive treatment of plasma cell dyscrasias in 2014”.
The conference raised the issues of a comprehensive and multidisciplinary treatment of patients with multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, monoclonal gammopathy and Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia. The pathology in multiple myeloma includes many tissues and organs, such as haematological, skeletal, endocrine, renal, nervous and more. Therefore, comprehensive and multi-specialty care of patients gives a chance of high efficiency and the improvement of quality of life and its prolongation in good comfort. The last 15 years have brought the registration of seven new drugs used in myeloma. The life span in the disease has significantly prolonged to an average of about 10 years. It was noted that, currently, patients did not die of multiple myeloma but with myeloma as a chronic disease and for other clinical reasons.
The conference was officially opened by Prof. Aleksander B. Skotnicki and Artur Jurczyszyn, MD, PhD from the Clinical Department of Haematology, Jagiellonian University Medical College.
The lectures were given by internationally renowned experts:
– Prof. Robert Orlowski (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, USA) – THERAPY OF NEW DIAGNOSED MULTIPLE MYELOMA IN 2014
– Prof. Jens Hillengass (University of Heidelberg, German Cancer Research Centre, Germany) – MANAGING AND THERAPY OF RELAPSED/REFRACTORY MULTIPLE MYELOMA in 2014
– Prof. Irene Ghobrial (Harvard Medical School, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA) – HOW I TREAT WALDENSTRÖM’S MACROGLOBULINEMIA IN 2014 AND MGUS STUDY
– Prof. Ashraf Badros (University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA) – SUPPORTIVE CARE AND MAINTANCE THERAPY OF MULTIPLE MYELOMA IN 2014
– Prof. Ashutosh Wechalekar (National Amyloidosis Centre, UCL Medical School, London, UK) – MANAGING AND THERAPY OF AMYLOIDOSIS IN 2014
The conference attracted a lot of interest and brought together over 60 participants from the Polish haematological centres from Gdańsk, Lublin, Wrocław, Warszawa, Bielsko-Biała, Kraków. Each presentation was summarised by Prof. A. Skotnicki, who led the conference, and was followed by a lively discussion about the treatment options in plasma cell dyscrasias and the optimisation of therapy in Poland.
The participation in the conference of scientists from the US, Germany, UK and Poland with a lively and mutual discussion proves that medicine knows no borders and that doctors from different countries speak the same language about similar cases.
In addition to the factual and scientific part, the participants had an opportunity to explore the chambers of the Wawel Castle, Wieliczka Salt Mine, St. Mary’s Church, Museum in Collegium Maius and in Auschvitz as well as the Schindler Factory. The views of the centre of Kraków from a cafe on the roof of the Stary Hotel in the fine weather will certainly long remain in the memory of our foreign guests who visited Poland and Kraków for the first time.

III International Conference was organised under the high patronage of the leading characters of Kraków Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the Rector of the Jagiellonian University Prof. Wojciech Nowak, the Governor of Małopolska Jerzy Miller, the Małopolska Marshal Marek Sowa, the Mayor of the City of Kraków Prof. Jacek Majchrowski and the President of the Regional Chamber of Physicians Prof. Andrzej Matyja.
Thank you very much Myeloma Treatment Foundation Centre in Krakow and pharmaceutical companies: Janssen-Cilag, Mundipharma, Celgene, Alvogen, Actavis and Vipharm for the opportunity to organise this international conference.

Additional pictures:
http://www.cm-uj.krakow.pl/index.php/wydarzenia/galeria/1246