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A diagnosis of blood cancer marks a pivotal moment for patients and their families. Choosing where to seek care is just as important. Each year, specialists at Mayo Clinic care for nearly 30,000 people with blood disorders, including those facing blood cancers such as lymphoma, myeloma or leukemia. To shed light on what patients can expect, and what sets Mayo Clinic apart, we spoke with Dr. Stephen Ansell, a Mayo Clinic hematologist, about the latest insights in blood cancer care.
Hope, expertise, and collaborative care
Q: What inspired you to specialize in treating blood cancers?
A: During my initial training in South Africa, I was provided an opportunity to do a project focused on non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This project got me interested in hematological malignancies and in developing new treatments for patients with blood cancer. Since coming to Mayo Clinic, I have had the opportunity to do both lab research and clinical trials focused on blood cancer.
Q: How has treatment for blood cancers changed in the last 5 years? What role has Mayo Clinic played in that?
A: Treatment for blood cancers has changed remarkably in recent years. Most specifically, new treatments engaging the immune system have become standard of care. These treatments include the use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells and bispecific antibodies.
Q: How does Mayo Clinic's team-based approach enhance care for blood cancer patients?
A: Many of these immune treatments, while effective therapy, do have substantial immunological toxicities. These toxicities include cytokine release syndrome and neurological toxicity from activation of immune cells. Mayo Clinic has specialized in developing a multidisciplinary approach to treating patients that includes specialists in critical care, neurology, cardiology, and nephrology. This allows for comprehensive management of complicated patients.
Q: What does compassionate care look like for blood cancer patients? How does Mayo Clinic model that?
A: Compassionate care for patients with blood cancers requires not only good medical care focused on the patient's disease but good supportive management of the patient focused on their well-being as well as the well-being of their family. Mayo Clinic includes the patient and the patient's family and caregivers as part of the care team. Providing psychological and emotional support for the patient and their caregivers, as well as practical logistical help is all part of compassionate care and management of patients with blood cancers.
Q: What role does patient education play in improving treatment outcomes and quality of life?
A: The patient and their family play a key role in ensuring they receive optimal care and thereby the best outcome. Part of ensuring the best care possible is providing appropriate information and knowledge related to the disease and its management. Patient education is critical to achieve this. The information extends beyond medical facts and treatment information and includes supportive care including management of side effects and information about living with the disease.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is newly diagnosed with blood cancer?
A: Being diagnosed with blood cancer is a life-changing event. It is critical to engage with an excellent healthcare team such as the teams at Mayo Clinic, but it is also important to connect with family and friends who can also provide the support needed to deal with this critical period in a patient's life.
Q: If there is one thing you want people to know about Mayo Clinic's blood cancer program, what would it be?
A: Mayo Clinic provides excellence across the entire continuum - everything from ensuring that the initial diagnosis of a blood cancer is accurate, to developing an optimized treatment plan for the disease, to administering the best treatment in a compassionate and effective way and providing the necessary psychological and emotional support during difficult times.
As Dr. Ansell has made clear, no one has to face a blood cancer diagnosis alone. With a team dedicated to innovation, compassion and individualized care, Mayo Clinic is committed to guiding patients and their families through every step of the journey. Wherever you are in your diagnosis or treatment, Mayo Clinic is ready to support you.
Learn More
Learn more about blood cancer care at Mayo Clinic.
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