A HOSPITAL trust has been recognised for its treatment of patients with a form of blood cancer.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has been given an excellence award for its superior treatment for patients with myeloma, the second most common form of blood cancer, which currently affects about 17,500 in the UK.

Myeloma UK has awarded teams working at University Hospital of North Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital, its Myeloma UK Clinical Services Excellence Programme Award.

Mark Jones, deputy associate director of operations, said he was ‘very proud’ of the whole team.

Deborah Grimes, haematology clinical nurse specialist, said, “Myeloma is a complex cancer which originates in the bone marrow and has non-specific symptoms, so it can be difficult to detect. Each year 5,700 new cases are diagnosed in the UK – that’s 15 cases every day. We’re committed to ensuring our patients receive the very best care and benefit from the improvements in treatment that have become available over the last ten years, which mean survival rates for patients with Myeloma are increasing faster than for most other cancers.

“Treatments include chemotherapy and biological therapies, plus supportive therapies such as blood transfusions and infusions which help bone integrity.

“We work closely with The Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, Myeloma team, on behalf of patients requiring bone marrow stem cell transplant procedures.”