The SickKids Handbook of Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis covers the entire field of pediatric thrombosis and hemostasis. It was written to give pediatric clinicians who have to deal with a hematologic emergency at 3 AM an up-to-date resource to decide on the best treatment for their patient – anywhere in the world.
We are excited to announce the release of the 3rd, revised and extended edition of this authoritative handbook, a trusted resource for clinicians and healthcare professionals worldwide. This edition aims to provide a comprehensive and accurate resource for healthcare professionals involved in the assessment and care of children with inherited and acquired bleeding and clotting disorders. The content of the previous edition has been updated and supplemented with new chapters on bleeding in the adolescent girl and on managing children on mechanical circulatory support (ECMO/VAD) as well as a new chapter focused on hemostatic and thrombotic challenges in children with vascular anomalies.
The team of editors from the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada, led by Dr. Victor S. Blanchette, worked tirelessly to ensure that the handbook continues to be a reliable source of information. Victor was the driving force behind this book from its first edition and it is truly heartbreaking that he passed away earlier this year before he could see the latest edition in print. His contribution to this book and the field of pediatric hematology / oncology has been immeasurable. All his countless accomplishments stem from the man that Victor was: a caring, compassionate, and good-natured individual who never yelled but instead befriended, inspired, and persuaded others to do good and important things. “He never thought something was unachievable and worked tirelessly to achieve what many thought would be impossible. “No” was never part of his vocabulary – instead “Yes” was his favorite word”, as his colleagues state in their tribute to him. His passion for medicine and his commitment to sharing knowledge and supporting others will continue to inspire us.
This edition is dedicated to our late senior editor. His vision and leadership have been instrumental in shaping this handbook, and his legacy will live on in its pages. We believe that this edition stands as a fitting tribute to his life and work.
The 3rd edition of the SickKids Handbook of Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis is more than just a book; it is a beacon of knowledge, guiding healthcare professionals in their efforts to provide the best care to their patients.
Dr. Victor Blanchette (source: The Hospital for Sick Children)
Read more about the life of Victor Blanchette and his great contributions to the field of pediatric hematology: Obituary by Dr. Ed Conway, the University of British Columbia.
Order the book
SickKids Handbook of Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis | Books Gateway | Karger Publishers
SickKids Handbook of Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis, 3rd, revised and extended edition
Edited by Victor S. Blanchette; Leonardo Brandão; Manuel Carcao; Riten Kumar; Margaret L. Rand; Shoshana Revel-Vilk
(Featured image declaration: by ronnachaipark from Freerange Stock)
In our Editing for Cure series, you will embark on a unique journey behind the scenes of Oncology Research and Treatment. Each interview in this series will introduce you to an editor or a team of editors, offering a glimpse into their professional backgrounds, their passion for clinical science, and their commitment to advancing the field through the dissemination of high-quality research.
In the first interview, we spoke with Sylvie Lorenzen and Ralf-Dieter Hofheinz, who were appointed as Editors-in-Chief of Oncology Research and Treatment in 2020.
Read the full interview here.
Photo © Sylvie Lorenzen
Prof. Dr. Sylvie Lorenzen is a hematology and oncology specialist at Klinikum rechts der Isar in Munich, Germany. She has been on the board of the Association of Internal Oncology (AIO) since 2019 and has been the spokesperson for the AIO’s gastric/esophageal cancer working group since 2017. She is a member of several specialist societies and heads the Early Clinical Trial Unit (ECTU) at the hospital. Her focus is on the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal tumors, with an emphasis on upper gastrointestinal tumors, at all stages, particularly in the context of national and international phase I–III trials. She is the principal investigator of numerous publicly and industry-funded studies as well as of her own Investigator Initiated Trials (IITs).
Photo © Ralf Hofheinz
Prof. Dr. Ralf-Dieter Hofheinz has been trained in hematology and oncology at Mannheim University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Germany. Currently, he is head of the Mannheim Cancer Center outpatient department of the University of Heidelberg. His main research focus is the (multimodal) treatment of gastrointestinal tumors, including supportive care, and patient-reported outcomes. He is active in the steering committees of the working groups of colorectal and gastroesophageal cancer of the Association of Internal Oncology (AIO). Hofheinz is the spokesman of the German Rectal Cancer Study Group (with Prof. Claus Rödel and Prof. Michael Ghadimi), of the Interdisciplinary Working Group for Visceral Oncology of the German Cancer Society (with Prof. Pompiliu Piso and Prof. Emmanouil Fokas).
As an Editor of Oncology Research and Treatment, what responsibilities and challenges do you face in ensuring the quality and relevance of published articles in the field of oncology?
Sylvie Lorenzen: As an editor of Oncology Research and Treatment, the main focus is to publish high-quality science that is of interest to our readers. Recently, we initiated Article Collections, led by Guest Editors who are experts in the respective fields, that focus on topics currently discussed in the oncological community – from gender aspects in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer to cellular immunotherapy to supportive care. These are always connected to a Call for Papers to encourage broad participation in these publications. All open Calls for Papers are listed on the journal homepage: www.karger.com/ORT.
We further launched a series of current reports with highlights from relevant international congresses, e.g., reports from young medical oncologists giving an update on highlights from recent conferences, such as ESMO. You can find the first articles here. With time we will add further contributions to the page.
In your role as Editor, have you observed any notable gaps or areas where more research is needed within the field of oncology? How can researchers and the journal collectively work towards addressing these gaps?
Ralf Hofheinz: One aspect that could be mapped more broadly in Oncology Research and Treatment is well-conducted studies on “real-world data”. Speaking for Germany, it is becoming increasingly difficult to conduct (prospective) clinical trials. They become more expensive, the formal requirements are increasingly complex, and many colleagues complain of excessive bureaucracy. This means that we will have fewer prospective studies in the future and may (have to) deal more with registry data. This realization is not only gaining ground in research. Regulatory authorities, EMA for instance, are now also discussing how and under what conditions real-world data can be used in the approval of drugs (see https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/harnessing-potential-real-world-data-through-learning-healthcare-system).
Recently, there has been a growing emphasis on patient-physician communication, e.g., how to navigate communication with seriously ill patients. How do you see this trend reflected in the submissions to Oncology Research and Treatment?
Ralf Hofheinz: Ultimately, we research and publish intending to improve not only the treatment but also the care options for our patients. This also includes concepts such as patient empowerment and shared decision-making. I believe it would be good not only to make these concepts fruitful in everyday clinical practice but also to promote research in this area. This year’s German Cancer Prize included a prize for healthcare research, in addition to the “classic” three categories (clinical, translational, and experimental cancer research). The prize was awarded on June 21, 2024, to Prof. Stephanie Stock, who has been particularly committed to the basics of optimizing care for tumor patients within the framework of new care models, including disease management programs, case management, and integrated care. In my opinion, much more research is needed in this area in particular. I believe that this should also include interprofessional research. We work as an interprofessional team with our patients, but we still conduct research separately in many aspects.
For researchers aspiring to publish in Oncology Research and Treatment, what advice do you have for them in terms of preparing and submitting their work? Are there specific criteria or tips that authors should keep in mind?
Sylvie Lorenzen: Timeliness and freshness are crucial. Submissions are more likely to be accepted if they present clinically relevant research that advances the field and is novel. One of the main questions is: “Why now?” What’s happening in the scientific community right now that makes today the perfect time to run this story in Oncology Research and Treatment? Also, keep in mind that the focus of this journal is to report clinical and translational research and that basic research is not in the scope of the journal and should be submitted elsewhere.
On a personal note…
What you are passionate about besides your work? How do you renew your energy after a challenging day?
Sylvie Lorenzen: My great passion is running – the half-marathon is my favorite discipline and there is always a competition I am preparing for. I’m very lucky to live in a perfect district in Munich Haidhausen, just a step away from the Isar River. You can find me there 5 times a week – but you have to get up very early!
Ralf Hofheinz: A large family with five children requires a lot of time but makes you realize every day what is worth living for besides work. Whenever I have time apart from family and work, I try to spend it in nature (my beloved Odenwald), or with music, be it passively in concerts or on the piano or cello. I consider music to be very valuable for renewing resources. Based on this experience, we have also been conducting projects on music (medicine) at our center for several years and hope to be able to roll these out in randomized multicenter studies in the future.
The statements and opinions contained in this interview are solely those of the speaker(s).
(Featured image declaration: by rawpixel from Freerange Stock)
Steffi is a Publication Manager at Karger publishers. She holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Basel and a diploma in zoology, genetics and statistics from the University of Freiburg. She manages several journals, mostly specializing in oncology and hematology.
We spoke with Maurie Markman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Karger’s journals Oncology and Case Reports in Oncology, about new treatments and prospects in the field of oncology.
Maurie Markman, MD became the Editor-in-Chief of Karger’s journal Oncology in 2007 and is the founding Editor of the journal Case Reports in Oncology.
He is President of Medicine & Science at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® and Chief Clinical Officer for CTCA Health. For more than 30 years Dr. Markman has been engaged in clinical research in the area of gynecologic malignancies, with a particular focus on new drug development and exploring novel management strategies in female pelvic cancers.
Among other distinctions, he was named by OncLive® to an elite group of 21 inductees of the 2018 Giants of Cancer Care® recognition program. The program celebrates pioneers, innovators and leaders who have made remarkable achievements in oncology research and clinical practice. Dr. Markman was selected by his peers in recognition of his contributions in gynecologic cancers.
At Karger, we are very happy to count this distinguished researcher among the Editors-in-Chief of our journals. We have asked him a few questions about himself and his views on publishing.
Can you tell us a little about yourself? How did you become interested in oncology?
While serving as an internal medicine resident at Bellevue Hospital/New York University Medical Center I was fascinated by both the incredible evolving revolution in our understanding of the biology of cancer and at the same time the major challenges and opportunities associated with caring for cancer patients. I decided to enter the field of medical oncology and hematology and I have never regretted this decision. After serving as a Chief Medical Resident I spent two years working at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and completed a fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center. It has been a wonderful experience, both in patient care and clinical research.
What challenges and developments can we expect to see for this field in the next few years?
Probably the most important developments will be in the area of novel anti-cancer pharmaceutical agents. The management of a number of malignancies has been transformed over the past decade with the introduction of effective molecularly-targeted therapeutics and immunotherapy (checkpoint inhibitors). It is likely this trend will continue with combination non-cytotoxic therapy (therapy that does not aim to directly kill cancer cells) becoming more prominent in disease management. One critical issue for the future will be strategies to determine how to optimally utilize these very expensive drugs, especially as it is increasingly recognized that advanced cancers are being converted into more chronic disease processes where effective and tolerable treatments may be delivered over a period of “years”, rather than “months”.
As the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Oncology, you introduced the section “Reducing the Worldwide Burden of Cancer”. What was your motivation to include this section and what kind of submissions would you like to see in this section?
It is well-recognized that cancer is a worldwide problem and certain cancers are actually far more common in the developing world. The idea was to focus on cancer developments in these countries and to include investigators who may not otherwise have the opportunity to publish their work in a journal of the quality of Oncology.
You are also the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Case Reports in Oncology. In your opinion, what is the role of case reports in scientific publishing?
This is an important but complex question. Clearly, a single case summary, no matter how well written or documented, should never be seen as providing the level of data observed in a well-designed prospective clinical trial. However, case reports can be extremely helpful in individual management of an uncommon clinical scenario or may provide unique insight into a novel molecular mechanism that should be further investigated in a clinical trial. It is critical to emphasize that such case reports are rarely accepted in major oncology journals as there is always competition for limited space. An online journal devoted specifically to communication of cases seemed to be the appropriate venue, and when Dr. Karger suggested this opportunity to me I was delighted to assume the role of Editor-in-Chief of this novel oncology communication venue.
Thank you for giving us insight into your motivation to become an oncologist and into your views on publishing cancer research.
Read the articles from the section “Reducing the Worldwide Burden of Cancer”.
Also, check out the latest publications from the journals “Oncology” and “Case Reports in Oncology”.
Interested in reading other interviews with our Editors-in-Chief? Check out the interview with Editor in Chief of our journal Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation, Prof. Dr. med. Thomas M. D’Hooghe.
