By: Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
The first meeting of SOHO Spain was held in Madrid on February 27 and 28, 2025. The setting was the Rafael del Pino Auditorium in the center of Madrid, and the event was a total success. Around 400 international colleagues registered for the meeting of which 362 attended in person. The audience consisted not only of Spanish hematologists but also an international audience including researchers and industry. The meeting was directed by Dr. Adolfo de la Fuente, chief of hematology at MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, and Guillermo Garcia-Manero from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
An important aspect of this initiative is that the event was fully coordinated with the Spanish Society of Hematology led by Dr. Maria Victoria Mateos who also served as honorary president of the society together with Dr. Hagop Kantarjian. In addition, Dr. Phil Scheinberg, president of SOHO, was present at the meeting and welcomed and closed the two days of activities in Madrid. The meeting was a real tour de force of all aspects of malignant hematology, covering treatment of multiple myeloma, chronic myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), T cell lymphomas, acute myeloid leukemia, lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, myeloproliferative neoplasms, stem cell transplantation, and cell therapy.
Because Spain has one of the most active hematology programs in the world, with leading cooperative programs in myeloma, leukemia, MDS and others, all sessions included leading Spanish hematologists and international speakers, allowing a very fruitful exchange of information from local real-world experience to the latest advances in each disease. Indeed, the scientific committee was formed by Drs. Sureda (Barcelona), Fernandez de Larrea (Barcelona), Panizo (Pamplona), Martin Moro (Madrid), Bosch (Barcelona), Diez Campelo (Salamanca), Montesinos (Valencia), Garcia-Sanz (Madrid), Garcia Gutierrez (Madrid), Isidori (Italy), Cerchione (Italy), Jabbour (USA), and Daver (USA).
As past president of SOHO and as an American hematologist from Spain, it was amazing for me to see this meeting take place in Madrid. The level of Spanish hematology is incredible and together with leading international experts, I strongly believe that the two days of lectures and interaction were very positive and educational. The atmosphere of the meeting was collegial and a constructive experience. I want to congratulate Dr. De la Fuente for organizing an amazing meeting. The plan is to repeat SOHO Spain in 2027. I hope to see everyone in Spain then.
Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD, co-director of SOHO Spain 2025, served as the 2024-2025 president of SOHO and is a professor in the Department of Leukemia at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
SOHO Spain is part of the SOHO Ambassador Program, which appoints experts from around the world to represent the society in their geographic regions. Ambassadors share local developments in hematologic oncology with SOHO and promote its educational resources within their communities. Visit soho.click/donate to support the SOHO Ambassador program.
