Supportive Care for Persons with Blood Cancers

Project Description

The clinical haematology department is strongly committed to the development of the next generation of researchers, especially those with a commitment to the local area. We believe that improvements in the care provided for individuals with blood cancers in the local area can be driven by the development and enhancement of local research.
There is a strong track record of research within the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School focused upon the experience of individuals with cancer. Within the sports science department there is significant expertise in how exercise before, or after medical interventions can improve patient outcomes. Such exercise programmes are termed prehabilitiation and rehabilitation respectively. In the new Allam Building there is a large research group that’s studies aspects of patient experience.
The speciality of haematology oversees the care of a wide variety of blood cancers. There are more than once hundred different types of blood cancer, each individually rare but collectively they comprise the fourth most common cancer type. This variety of cancer types has hindered research into how blood cancers affect patient experience.
Against this background the department is currently supporting two individuals to undertake research leading to a postgraduate qualification (PhD) in supportive care aspects related to haematology.
The first project undertaken by Zoe-Anne Baldwin is investigating the optimum model of follow-up for blood cancer patients who have completed their initial treatment. It is unknown how patients who have completed blood cancer treatment should be best monitored. Current practice is highly variable and includes traditional hospital-led medical follow-up, nurse-led follow-up in hospitals or primary care, primary care-led follow-up, or patient-initiated contact with the haematology department. A more detailed understanding of what evidence currently exists in relation to monitoring of blood cancer patients will lead on to the development of a local pathway to be implemented in Hull and the surrounding catchment population.
The second project will be undertaken by Elaine Mathieson and will focus on whether a defined programme of exercise, health improvement and lifestyle advice undertaken before an intensive procedure called a stem cell transplant can improve the outcomes for persons with blood cancers. Such interventions have been shown to be effective before surgical procedures and therapies for non-haematological cancers but the impact of “prehabilitation” on persons with blood cancers is unknown.