Haematology is a subspecialty in Internal Medicine which deals with blood diseases. General Haematology and Haemato-oncology disorders are diagnosed and treated such as:
- Anaemia
- Thalassaemia and other haemoglobinopathies
- Thrombocytopenia and other platelet disorders
- Pancytopenia
- Aplastic Anaemia and other bone marrow failure syndromes
- Leukaemia (Acute and Chronic)
- Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin)
- Multiple Myeloma and other plasma cell disorders
- Myeloproliferative Neoplasm
- Myelodysplastic Syndrome
- Thrombosis, Thrombophilia and other clotting disorders
- Haemophilia and other bleeding disorders
Haematologists have a close working relationship with haematopathologists, histopathologists, blood bank and transfusion medicine specialists, radiologists, oncologists, physicians, intensivists and surgeons.Services provided are as follows:
- Bone Marrow Aspirate and Trephine Biopsy.
For diagnostic and staging purposes of haematological disorders. It is also a method of assessing response towards treatment.
- Chemotherapy.
Oral or Intravenous chemotherapy are administered to both inpatients and outpatients. Intrathecal Chemotherapy is administered via the spinal fluid as prophylaxis or treatment for certain haematological malignancies.
- Targeted therapies.
Immunotherapy or other targeted therapies can be used alone or with chemotherapy to improve patients’ outcomes.
- Blood transfusion.
‘Patient Blood Management’ is advocated where evidence based, multidisciplinary approach towards optimizing the care of patients who might need transfusion is practiced.
There are plans to set up
Haematopoietic stem cell harvest and transplantation (HSCT) services in the future. Autologous or Allogenic (sibling, matched unrelated donor) HSCT are performed for certain haematological malignancies. Stem cells are collected from either autologous or allogenic sources. Some patients with solid tumours may also benefit from HSCT.
