EHA 2026: Hematology Comes to Stockholm With Patients at the Forefront

The land of the midnight sun will provide plenty of light for the 31st European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress as clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates converge on Stockholm this June to explore the science and practice of hematology.¹ The EHA 2026 Congress, taking place from June 11 to 14 at Stockholmsmässan, will be offered as a hybrid event, giving attendees around the world the option to engage in person or online.

The agenda reveals a scientific program anchored by the opening ceremony, plenary abstracts, and presidential sessions, alongside presentations spread across all 4 days of the congress. Two poster sessions will round out a program that reflects both the breadth and depth of contemporary hematology—from bench discoveries to bedside implementation to the regulatory questions that determine which advances ultimately reach patients.

Putting the Patient’s Voice on the Agenda

One of the emphases of EHA 2026 will be a focus on how patients experience their diseases and treatments—not just how clinicians measure them. Sessions dedicated to communication strategies and patient-reported outcomes will challenge attendees to think carefully about the gap between clinical end points and what matters most to patients living with hematologic conditions.

For instance, the session “Patient-Centered Outcomes in Hematology: Quality of Life, Equity, and Value” will bring together presentations on quality-of-life outcomes and patient needs in the context of anemia, sickle cell disease, and leukemias and lymphomas. This patient-centered thread reflects a broader shift in how the field designs trials, collects evidence, and makes the case for new therapies in an era of increasingly rigorous health technology assessment.

MRD: From Scientific Enthusiasm to Regulatory Reality

Few topics have generated as much sustained discussion at recent EHA congresses as minimal residual disease (MRD).^2,3 The conversation has evolved considerably since it first took center stage. What once was debated as a promising surrogate end point is now the subject of hard questions about standardization, assay validation, and whether MRD negativity can serve as a basis for regulatory approval.

EHA 2026 will continue to wrestle with those questions in dedicated sessions examining MRD’s evolving role in clinical and regulatory decision-making, such as the debate session “Fixed Duration vs MRD-Adapted Treatment in CLL.” These discussions will highlight the tension between scientists and clinicians eager to use MRD as a primary end point and regulators who require more evidence before accepting it as a surrogate for survival outcomes—a dynamic with significant implications for how quickly therapies can reach patients.

Navigating the Regulatory and Trial Design Landscape

Closely related is the broader set of questions the congress will take up around clinical trial design and drug regulation. As the field grapples with increasingly complex treatment landscapes—combination regimens, biomarker-selected populations, and rapidly evolving standards of care—the regulatory frameworks that govern approval and access must also evolve. Regulatory approvals and novel trial end points will receive a coveted slot during the first Presidential Session of the meeting.

Joint sessions with partner organizations and regulatory bodies have become a hallmark of the EHA program, and EHA 2026 is no exception, offering attendees the opportunity to hear from hematologists, trialists, and regulators in conversation with one another. For instance, a session on global trials will bring together EHA officers, researchers, the patient perspective, FDA representatives, and European regulators.

Plenary and Late-Breaking Sessions

As always, the plenary and late-breaking abstract sessions will draw the largest crowds, serving as the congress’ showcase for findings that will reshape practice in the months and years ahead. Results spanning the diversity of blood cancers—myeloma, leukemia, lymphoma, and more—are expected to feature prominently, offering attendees a preview of where the field is headed as new therapies and strategies come into focus.

Stockholm, with its appreciation for clean design, offers an apt setting for a meeting that will ask hematologists to look closely at the evidence, question assumptions, brainstorm thoughtful trials, and center the experience of patients in the work they do.

References

1. EHA2026 Congress. European Hematology Association. Accessed June 5, 2026. https://ehaweb.org/connect-network/eha2026-congress
2. Mattina C. Measurable residual disease in decision-making: an opportunity, but not a promise. AJMC^®. June 13, 2025. Accessed June 5, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/measurable-residual-disease-in-decision-making-an-opportunity-but-not-a-promise
3. Mattina C. Hematology from the European perspective: MRD negativity emerges as key outcome. AJMC. June 20, 2024. Accessed June 5, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/hematology-from-the-european-perspective-mrd-negativity-emerges-as-key-outcome