Want to stay up-to-date on the very latest developments in non-malignant haematology? Don't have the time or skills to critically appraise important papers? Join Pip and Rich, two haematology doctors on a journey of learning and discovery. Each episode, they will discuss a seminal trial, critically appraise the paper, interview a study author, and discuss the implications of the trial on clinical practice with a subject expert. CPD credits are available from RCPath. The podcast is sponsored by Sobi as a hands-off educational grant. Sobi have no editorial input whatsoever.
This podcast helps you to go beyond the abstract, delving deep into the methods, results, subanalyses, and implications. Interviews with authors gives a real-life perspective on the running of a clinical trial allowing explanations of why they did what they did and good honest discussion on limitations and how they might do it differently next time.
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Want to stay up-to-date on the very latest developments in non-malignant haematology? Don't have the time or skills to critically appraise important papers? Join Pip and Rich, two haematology doctors on a journey of learning and discovery. Each episode, they will discuss a seminal trial, critically appraise the paper, interview a study author, and discuss the implications of the trial on clinical practice with a subject expert. CPD credits are available from RCPath. The podcast is sponsored by Sobi as a hands-off educational grant. Sobi have no editorial input whatsoever.
This podcast helps you to go beyond the abstract, delving deep into the methods, results, subanalyses, and implications. Interviews with authors gives a real-life perspective on the running of a clinical trial allowing explanations of why they did what they did and good honest discussion on limitations and how they might do it differently next time.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, Pip and Rich chat to Dr Sue Pavord, current President of the British Society of Haematology. Over the last 18 months Dr Pavord has led from the front with serious work on defining liaison haematology, paving the way for this to be formally incorporated into haematologists' job plans. They also discuss Dr Pavord's pivotal role as a clinical leader in the UK's response to Vaccine Induced Immune Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia (VITT). Her insight into medicine, politics, and strategy are invaluable and this is a wide ranging interview. Give it a listen, and give it a like!
You can read the recent publication on Liaison Haematology, recently published in BMJ Open, here.
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Pip and Rich preview their second Don't Just Read the Abstract newsletter. This week, the newsletter focuses on the work that the British Society for Haematology have being doing on workforce planning and liaison haematology in particular.
If you would like to read Dr Sue Pavord's BSH message you can find it here.
The paper we mention: Ransome et al. Defining ‘liaison haematology’ in the UK: a modified Delphi study. BMJ Open. 2025.
To receive the newsletter, go to www.dontjustreadtheabstract.com and sign up. You can also access the newsletter on the website.
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When Dr Peter Douglas listened to our episode on the PEERLESS trial (S1, Ep12), he began to develop a funny sensation in his chest.
Emailing us he wrote:
"Your commentary on this paper lead me to develop the signs and symptoms of submassive PE. I am an interventional radiologist who has spent the last 3-4 years setting up a PERT and catheter based therapy service for PE and would love to speak to you further about this. In a nutshell... you missed the point. But the point is not something the authors or sponsoring company were trying to prove, so you won't find it in the results section."
Happily, he was joking (sort of), but it did make us want to get him on and ask him all about something we have limited personal experience of. So, we did!
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In this 5 minute episode, Pip and Rich introduce the brand new Don't Just Read the Abstract Newsletter, a twice monthly update on all things medical haematology. Covering latest developments and publications in haemostasis, thrombosis, transfusion, immunohaematology, and red cell haematology, the newsletter will keep you up-to-date on what matters to patients.
Sign up at www.dontjustreadtheabstract.com.
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On this episode, Pip and Rich discuss Piazza et al. Apixaban for Extended Treatment of Provoked Venous Thromboembolism, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in August 2025. This trial randomised 600 patients with VTE provoked by a transient risk factor but who also had at least one enduring risk factor, after completing 3 months of anticoagulation, to receive either apixaban 2.5 mg twice daily or placebo for 12 months. Extended apixaban reduced recurrent VTE from 10.0% to 1.3% (HR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04–0.36) with very low rates of major bleeding, though clinically relevant non-major bleeding was more frequent.
The caveat to these findings is the definition of "provoked" used in the trial, which is wide-ranging. This is an insightful discussion and is highly relevant to clinical practice.
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Prof. Isabelle Mahé is a cardiologist, triallist, and Professor of Internal Medicine Paris Cité University, France. She recently led the API-CAT study, a randomised controlled trial of apixaban 2.5 mg BD vs 5 mg BD for treatment of patients with cancer associated venous thromboembolism after 6 months of therapy. Pip and Rich discussed API-CAT in detail in episode 20 and now seize the opportunity to speak to an international expert and leader in the field about the art of the trial.
API-CAT was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025,
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In this episode of Don't Just Read the Abstract, Pip and Rich critically appraise LUNA3, a 2:1 randomised controlled trial of rilzabrutinib vs placebo in adults with persistent or chronic ITP. This is the first therapy to prove an improvement in fatigue in ITP, but does it live up to expectation? Listen to this episode and find out.
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References
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On this episode, Pip and Rich chat to Fouad Al Noor, CEO of ThinkSono. ThinkSono have developed an AI-powered handheld scanning tool for DVT that enables anyone to perform a diagnostic quality ultrasound scan for the diagnosis of DVT. The images are then reviewed by a radiologist, providing a rapid answer for most patients. The tool is entering use within the NHS and in this podcast, Pip and Rich discuss the story and the evidence behind ThinkSono as well as the challenges and opportunities that the tool provides.
For more information, visit www.thinksono.com and to access the evidence, head to www.thinksono.com/research.
Pip and Rich have no relevant conflicts of interest for this episode. The podcast was initially started thanks to a hands off grant from Sobi who have had no editorial input into the show.
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In this episode, Rich and Pip discuss de Latour et al. Oral Iptacopan Monotherapy in Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria. NEJM 2024. Iptacopan is a proximal complement inhibitor and the first oral treatment for paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria.
The study randomised patients to either continuation of a C5 inhibitor or switch to ictacopan and found that a significant proportion of patients achieved hemoglobin levels of 120 g/L or higher without the need for transfusions. The treatment was generally well-tolerated, with a safety profile consistent with previous studies, suggesting that iptacopan is a viable alternative to existing therapies.
Join us as we delve into the study's methodology, results, and implications for the future management of PNH.
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In this episode, Pip and Rich discuss plasma exchange free treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura with Dr Lucas Kuhne and Professor Paul Brinkoetter, authors of a recent study in Blood: Kühne et al. Management of immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura without therapeutic plasma exchange.
The study is an observational, retrospective study reporting outcomes of patients with TTP who were treated without plasma exchange, which is currently considered the standard of care. The advent of a novel nanobody against vWF called caplacizumab, that targets and prevents catastrophic thrombosis that is seen in TTP, has allowed the study of this approach.
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In this episode, Rich and Pip discuss a paper a German/Austrian study published in Blood: Kühne et al. Management of immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura without therapeutic plasma exchange.
The study is an observational, retrospective study reporting outcomes of patients with TTP who were treated without plasma exchange, which is currently considered the standard of care. The advent of a novel nanobody against vWF called caplacizumab, that targets and prevents catastrophic thrombosis that is seen in TTP, has allowed the study of this approach. Rich and Pip discuss the nuances of the paper and offer critical analysis.
In a follow-up episode, Rich and Pip will interview the study authors.
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In this episode, Rich and Pip discuss gene therapy for sickle cell disease, focusing on Frangoul et al. Exagamglogene Autotemcel for Severe Sickle Cell Disease, NEJM 2024.
HaemSTAR is an independent UK-wide network of registrars in clinical haematology, interested in promoting and performing research in classical haematology. Our focus is on collaborative projects across haemostasis & thrombosis, transfusion, general haematology, and obstetric haematology.
This episode was sponsored by Sobi as a hands-off educational grant. Sobi had no editorial input whatsoever.
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