Barts and The London Cancer Centre
Our service provides state-of-the-art facilities and treatment for patients with all types of blood cancer (all lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and myeloma), and acute and chronic leukaemias and myelodysplasia. Our team of experts has been instrumental in the design and execution of novel treatment approaches, many of which are now used routinely, and we have an extensive portfolio of national and international clinical trials and laboratory research programmes for a range of conditions.
Our specialised services include bone marrow transplantation (autologous and allogenic) and treatment of patients with aplastic anaemia.
In addition to providing treatment with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, we also offer the following:
Treatment with high dose chemotherapy and stem-cell rescue. In some diseases, high doses of chemotherapy are needed to kill malignant cells. Unfortunately this also kills normal bone marrow cells. To allow the patient to recover from this, we collect normal bone marrow stem cells before the high dose chemotherapy and freeze them. After the high dose therapy, these are thawed and given back and grow back to regenerate the bone marrow. This process is also known as autologous stem cell transplantation.
Allogenic bone marrow transplant – in some circumstances it is appropriate to use stem cells obtained from a donor. The donor is either a matched family member or a matched unrelated donor from one of the donor registries. This type of transplant can be performed either with intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy or with minimal amounts of chemotherapy (a ‘mini’ or reduced intensity transplant). The purpose of this type of transplant is that the donor cells can recognise and attack the cancer cells via a “graft versus leukaemia/ tumour” effect.
Emergency treatment of hyperviscosity and leucostasis - when the blood becomes too thick it may be necessary to remove cells or to replace the plasma. This is performed using an apheresis machine, which is operated by an experienced team of Clinical Nurse Specialists.
Supportive care for side effect management of treatment - many of the treatments used for patients with blood cancers are associated with specific side effects which are often predictable and manageable. Our specialised care teams offer support for the side effects of chemotherapy and dietary support when patients are not able to eat or drink well. Blood or platelet transfusions may be necessary for low blood counts. In addition, treatments are available to encourage more rapid recovery of white cells or red cells in the bone marrow.
Symptom support - working alongside the palliative care team, we help our patients manage their symptoms.
Some of our treatment approaches, such as stem cell transplantation are unsuitable for all patients but are the treatments of choice for selected patients based upon the actual disease, the availability of a suitable donor and the alternative treatments which are available in those specific circumstances.
Transplants are performed with the intention of curing patients with otherwise incurable diseases. Our published results have demonstrated excellent outcomes for stem cell transplants at Barts and The London which exceed the national rates. There is an active research program in the laboratory which aims to improve the way in which these procedures are performed and to improve the outcomes of our patients with these diseases.
We see approximately 350 new patients each year, and they are treated by a team of dedicated blood cancer specialists. Approximately 60 patients are referred to us each year with leukaemia and we perform 100 stem cell transplants.
All the consultants in the team are actively involved in clinical, translational and basic medical science research and all hold joint appointments with the hospital and our partner medical school; Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, where Professor Lister and Professor Gribben have research laboratories.
We have an extensive portfolio of clinical trials currently open and laboratory research programmes in lymphoma, acute myeloid leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, allogeneic transplantation and myeloma.
Clinical trials are performed within the newly formed Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, funded by The Department of Health and Cancer Research UK and led by Professor John Gribben and Dr Heather Oakervee.
Barts and The London is the only non-USA based hospital within the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Research Consortium, under the leadership of Professor John Gribben. This is an international collaboration in clinical and laboratory research into the causes and treatments of this disease funded by the National Institute of Health in the USA.
Our researchers have also developed a new technique to provide a faster and more accurate diagnosis for leukaemia which won Dr Samir Agrawal and his team the Department of Health’s national Health and Social Care Awards in 2007 and the top prize in the medical diagnostics and laboratory category at the NHS Innovator Awards 2006. The new test came about after he found that malignant cells could be detected by using antibodies to a protein that occurs in a certain type of leukaemia cell. The test enables medical staff to detect the most common form of leukaemia (chronic lymphocytic leukaemia) more rapidly and reliably than other methods. Since being introduced in 2002, the new approach has diagnosed the disorder in over 500 patients, and helped differentiate it from other malignant and non-malignant cells in the blood. No other laboratory in the world uses this diagnostic test.
Please click here to view details of our Bodley Scott Day Unit.
Referrals to the stem cell transplant unit can be made via GPs or referring clinicians at local hospitals.
For urgent clinical enquiries regarding existing patients please contact:
The on-call Specialist Registrar will be contacted to give advice or admission can be arranged.
For new referral and other enquiries:
Email: Ruby.farrell@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk