Conference Overview

The Third International Workshop on Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia continued the momentum begun by the previous two workshops in expanding our understanding of this rare disease. Fifty-seven investigators representing 13 countries took part in this workshop making it the largest and most comprehensive meeting on Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia to date. Importantly, this meeting included presentations from eleven Young Investigator Award recipients, made possible through the generosity of the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation, reflecting continued recruitment of new investigators to both the basic scientific and clinical discovery of Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia.

Highlights of the Third International Workshop on Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia included a celebration honoring the lifetime contributions of three individuals whose tireless efforts helped define our understanding of Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. Drs. Robert Kyle, Maxime Seligmann, and Marvin Stone were honored at the Opening Ceremonies on Thursday, October 7, 2004 with Lifetime Achievement Awards. In the following days, exciting new data were presented on the genetic basis, molecular pathogenesis, familial involvement, prognostication, and clinical presentation of Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, as well as updates on clinical trials, including those employing novel therapeutic modalities. We also shared a continued dialogue aimed at updating treatment and response criteria for Waldenstrom’s during open consensus panel sessions.  Lastly, the Closing Ceremonies were held on the evening of Sunday, October 10, 2004, which featured lectures by Dr. Anders Waldenstrom, honoring the personal and academic life of his father, Dr. Jan Waldenstrom, and Dr. Jacques Louis Binet, followed by a medallion ceremony honoring the benefactors and investigators of the Third International Workshop on Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia.

We hope that the program of the Third International Workshop on Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia has enriched our overall understanding of this disease, and will help accelerate the scientific discoveries leading to its cure.

Veronique LeBlond M.D.
Pierre Morel M.D.
Jean-Paul Fermand M.D.
Steve Treon M.D., M.A., Ph.D.

Organizers of the Third International Workshop
on Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia

Please visit our sponsors and partner organizations.