Haematology.

This article examines some of the recent advances in haematology in both the malignant and non-malignant areas of the speciality. Improvements in survival rates after effective chemotherapy now present the haematologist with the challenges of how to minimise therapeutic side effects without affecting outcome and the role of stratification as well as specific monitoring of enzyme activity are discussed. Many treatments for haematological malignancy have significant late effects which are only now becoming a problem--what these are, how to identify them and how they can be limited are examined. The increased knowledge of the altered pathways that lead to malignancy has allowed a whole slew of new therapies to be developed often with excellent results. The role of new iron chelation agents and the so called 'universal haemostatic agent' activated factor VII are also discussed.