National Day

Blood cancers: 30,000 new cases diagnosed every year, but research is leading to a better quality of life and more people being cured

AIL focuses on new treatment options – including CAR-T therapy and personalised medicine – which, in many cases, mark a turning point in the lives of adult and paediatric patients

by Health Editorial Team

19 June 2026

Tumori del sangue, cosi’ AIL sostiene i pazienti e la ricerca d’avanguardia

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Positive responses from 7 out of 10 patients
The CAR-T Revolution
Myeloma: a focus on older people
Treating acute myeloid leukaemia
Three answers for rare diseases
Targeted therapies

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Every year in Italia, around 30,000 new cases of haematological cancer are diagnosed, of which over 2,100 affect children and adolescents. Today, around 500,000 people are living with blood cancer, but thanks to advances in scientific research, the situation has changed dramatically: innovative treatments such as immunotherapy and haematopoietic stem cell transplants have improved the chances of recovery and enable a growing number of patients to live with the disease for a long time whilst maintaining a good quality of life. In many cases, the life expectancy of people with a haematological condition is increasingly approaching that of the general population.

Taking stock on the occasion of the National Day on 21 June for the fight against leukaemia, Lymphomas and Myeloma, is the AIL, the association which, for over half a century, has been supporting patients and their families through a network of 83 provincial branches and over 18,000 volunteers working through the ‘AIL Houses’, providing home care and psychological support. The occasion was the event ‘Research and Treatment in Haematology: AIL’s Commitment, Past and Future’, organised in Rome to share progress in haematological research, a field in which Italia is among the leading nations.

Positive responses in 7 out of 10 patients

“Our dream is of a ‘world free from blood cancers’,” explained AIL president Giuseppe Toro in an interview with Radiocor, “and already today, 70 per cent of patients are responding positively.” Thanks in part to support for research, treatments for leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma have become increasingly effective and targeted. In particular, in 2025, AIL funded 206 research projects on blood diseases, also backing studies led by Italian haematologists and the GIMEMA Group, and supporting 111 Haematology and Transplant Centres with staff, facilities, medicines and equipment. “In 2026, the Association strengthened its commitment to independent research in collaboration with leading scientific societies, funding innovative projects on myelodysplastic syndromes, paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, rare cutaneous lymphomas, Digital Twin technology and specialist training,” continued the president.

“GIMEMA was founded in the early 1980s,” continued Marco Vignetti, President of the Franco Mandelli GIMEMA Foundation, Italian Group for Adult Haematological Diseases – a collaborative network with the aim of sharing ideas, projects and treatment protocols for patients with acute leukaemia. There are currently over 50 active studies within the network. One of these projects is LabNet, which is celebrating 20 years of operation this year. Today, in Italia, LabNet connects 160 clinical centres and 60 specialist laboratories via a digital platform that ensures access to advanced, certified and standardised molecular diagnostics. – He continued – it has reached around 15,000 patients and carried out over 200,000 molecular tests, confirming its status as a unique organisation within the Italian haematology landscape. The impact on clinical practice is significant: many treatment decisions now depend on the patient’s molecular response and require reliable, standardised tests. This translates into more appropriate and personalised care, whilst at the same time the National Health Service benefits from a more efficient use of resources.”

The CAR-T Revolution

Meanwhile, CAR-T therapies are redefining the treatment paradigm for numerous haematological cancers, not only because of the results achieved in patients with refractory or resistant disease, but also due to the new prospects for their use in the earliest stages. “CAR-T cells represent one of the most advanced frontiers in immunotherapy,” explained Franco Locatelli, Director of the Paediatric Onco-Haematology Clinical Unit, Cell Therapy, Gene Therapy and Haematopoietic Transplantation at the Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital in Rome, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome. There are already numerous CAR-T products approved for clinical use in the treatment of refractory and resistant forms of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Today, however, the focus is gradually shifting towards earlier use,” added Locatelli. ‘In fact, clinical trials are currently underway, or in the process of being launched, which envisage the use of CAR-T therapy as early as the first relapse, in high-risk patients, and potentially also in newly diagnosed patients where there is evidence of a high probability of failure of conventional therapies.’

Multiple myeloma: a focus on older people

Haematological disorders are rare diseases, and some, such as multiple myeloma, are predominantly diagnosed in people over the age of 70. Until recently, treatment options were limited, but the landscape has now changed, partly thanks to the introduction of increasingly effective bispecific antibodies. “In recent years, one of the most significant advances has been the use of induction regimens based on four drugs rather than three,” said Paolo Corradini, Full Professor of Haematology at the University of Milan, Head of Haematology and Acting Scientific Director at the National Cancer Institute of Milan. “This has been complemented by the introduction of a highly effective monoclonal antibody, daratumumab, which recognises a protein on the surface of myeloma cells called CD38. The incorporation of this drug into the consolidation and maintenance phases has represented a significant change, helping both to improve survival and to enhance patients’ quality of life. When the disease is under control and the patient is in remission, in fact, major symptoms such as pain are reduced and overall well-being improves significantly.”

Treating acute myeloid leukaemia

Acute myeloid leukaemia is a rare and aggressive condition that mainly affects people over the age of 60. ‘In recent years, new therapies have become available with mechanisms of action very different from those of traditional chemotherapy,’ explained Alessandro Rambaldi, Professor of Haematology and Scientific Director of the Fondazione per la Ricerca-FROM at the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo. These new therapies have vastly increased the number of patients to whom we can now offer treatment with the potential for a cure. In the past, many patients over the age of 65 received only supportive care, as they were not eligible for effective treatments. Today, thanks to better-tolerated therapies, we can bring them into remission and also offer them allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which remains the curative strategy par excellence.”

Three answers for rare diseases

Chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms are a group of rare diseases with a global incidence of fewer than 5 cases per 100,000 per year. There are three main types: essential thrombocythemia, polycythaemia vera and myelofibrosis. “The discovery that the JAK-STAT pathway is altered in these diseases, regardless of the mutation present, has led to the development of JAK inhibitors,” said Alessandro M. Vannucchi, President of SIES, Professor of Haematology, Director of the Haematology SOD, CRIMM, Centre for Research and Innovation in Myeloproliferative Disorders, Director of the Department of Oncology, and Director of the Postgraduate School of Haematology at Careggi University Hospital and the University of Florence. “We currently have three drugs approved in Europe and four in the United States. These treatments have radically changed the therapeutic approach, significantly improving patients’ quality of life. In many cases, they enable optimal symptom control and allow people to return to leading a virtually normal life.”

Targeted therapies

Furthermore, acute myeloid leukaemia predominantly affects people with an average age at diagnosis of around 60–70 years; today, targeted therapies have transformed the treatment landscape. ‘Until a few years ago, those who were not eligible for intensive chemotherapy were mainly offered supportive care or hypomethylating agents used on their own – a strategy that often yielded limited and short-lived responses,’ said Adriano Venditti, Member of the SIE Executive Board, Full Professor of Haematology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, and Director of the Department of Onco-Haematology at the Tor Vergata University Hospital - ‘Today, the landscape has changed dramatically thanks to the introduction of targeted therapies – drugs that act on specific molecular alterations in leukaemia cells or interfere with metabolic processes critical to their survival.’