Hematology and oncohematology: from hemophilia to blood cancers

HCC's experience in hematology and oncohematology is notable for its collaboration with patient associations through innovative initiatives, such as Kokkolo, which provides play therapy for children with hemophilia, and Destinazione Santiago, which promotes the benefits of physical activity for people with hemophilia. Since 2018, HCC's activities have expanded to include communicating about oncohematological diseases, such as multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma, as well as new therapies. HCC has partnered with the oncohematology department of Janssen/Johnson & Johnson for these activities.

Hematology and oncology are two sides of the same coin. Hematology deals with diseases of the blood and the hematopoietic system. Oncology focuses specifically on blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

HCC's experience in hematology and oncohematology

We have worked closely with patient associations in the hemophilia field, such as the "Kokkolo" and "Destination Santiago" projects, which are two different ways of providing support to people with the disease. The Kokkolo teddy bear is the mascot of a play therapy project initiated in 2007 by Bayer in collaboration with Fedemo (the Federation of Hemophilia Associations) to promote understanding of and facilitate management of hemophilia treatment in children. This project resulted in the establishment of a Kokkolo clinic at the Policlinico di Milano, which we managed and publicized. Destinazione Santiago is a project by the Paracelso Foundation that we supported with the patronage of Telethon and the contribution of Novo Nordisk. It involved a group of people with hemophilia walking the Camino de Santiago with a team of doctors and physical therapists. We documented their journey with daily video updates on the Foundation's social media channels until the final report during the 2019 Telethon Marathon on Rai TV. The project aimed to raise awareness among people with hemophilia of the benefits of physical activity and contact with nature, as well as provide an opportunity for self-reflection. Since 2018, we have addressed multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, lymphomas, Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, CAR-T, bispecific antibodies, and cancer immunotherapies in communications for the oncohematology department of Janssen, now Johnson & Johnson.