By Charlotte Niemeyer, MD, Universitaets–Kinderklinik, Freiburg, Germany

2009-12-07

Through participation in the International Consortium on Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (IC-APL), Uruguayan hematologists have had better coordination on a national level, revitalized their hematology society, and started collaborating on a national registry for all hematologic malignancies, not solely APL, according to Dr. Lem Martinez, the Uruguayan national coordinator for the IC-APL, during a 2009 IC-APL meeting.

Dr. Martinez’s comments underscore the many benefits of participation in a network such as the IC-APL. Initiated by ASH in December 2004, the IC-APL facilitates a network of clinicians and researchers in emerging countries. Its aims are to improve clinical care and to create the infrastructure for ongoing clinical trials and translational research in APL. Because of its prevalence in Latin America and the rapid progress in understanding its pathogenesis and optimizing its therapy, APL was chosen as the model disease. Member countries currently include Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay.

Prior to joining the IC-APL in 2006, Uruguayan institutions had the human and technical resources to run clinical trials, but there was a lack of collaboration between the country’s researchers. The IC-APL gave hematologists in Uruguay an opportunity to cooperatively organize the logistics for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment through the central lab in Montevideo, which led to a significant improvement in clinical management.

According to Dr. Sebastian Galeano, secretary of the Sóciedad Hematologica del Uruguay (SHU), the IC-APL was the first opportunity for its hematologists to participate in a multicenter clinical research project. In order to determine their incidence of APL, members of SHU initiated the Uruguayan Registry in Hematologic Malignancies, primarily developed by the IC-APL and SHU data manager, Dr. Isabel Moro. They now know not only the incidence of acute leukemias, but also the rates of CML and lymphomas. SHU is currently developing an accurate registry for CLL, MDS, and multiple myeloma.

“Our participation in IC-APL has also helped foster better communication among the members of our Society,” Dr. Galeano commented. “This experience undoubtedly is an example of how we should manage other hematologic diseases in order to improve our clinical practice.” Each patient’s diagnosis is followed within the guidelines outlined in the IC-APL protocol. That information is shared between the SHU members. Through the IC-APL, Uruguayan hematologists work with experts in the field from all over the world, developing their own expertise in APL.

Moreover, they have gained new diagnostic tools, such as an anti-PML antibody, and improved on those that they already had, particularly in the field of coagulation. Through improvements in diagnostic procedures, communication among health workers, and knowledge of the disease, patients with APL will receive better care. 

The IC-APL became successful because of the enormous effort and enthusiasm of national coordinators, local data managers, and laboratory scientists. 

To learn more about the IC-APL and all of ASH’s global programs, visit the ASH booth, #129.

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