Haematology has seen many changes since 1998 when the first edition of this small book was written. Most notably, there are major advances in the treatments of malignant blood disorders with the discovery of tyrosine kinase inhibitors which have transformed the outlook for patients with CML, the rediscovery of arsenic for AML and many other new therapies. Progress has been slower in the non-malignant arena since there is still limited evidence on which to base decisions. We have attempted to update each section in the book in order to ensure that it reflects current practice. Although molecular diagnostics have seen huge changes through the Human Genome Project and other methodological developments, we have not included these in great detail here because of lack of space.
