“Survivorship will become a central part of our role as haematologists”
Dr Côme Bommier (Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris, France) is part of a new generation of haematologists who combine clinical knowledge with a commitment to research and patient-centred care. Currently based in Paris, his work has taken him from the Royal Marsden to the Mayo Clinic – experiences that have shaped both his scientific outlook and his approach to collaboration. In this interview, he reflects on the mentorship that helped launch his career, the fulfilment and challenges of daily clinical practice and the encouraging transformative changes ahead in lymphoma care. For Dr Bommier, progress is not only about treatment innovation – it’s about truly understanding what matters to each patient.
Q1. Can you tell us about a mentor who has had a significant impact on your career, and the most valuable lesson they have shared with you?
The mentor who has had the most significant impact on my career is undoubtedly Professor Catherine Thieblemont. From my very first steps in her department, she encouraged me to strengthen both my clinical and theoretical skills. She supported my early explorations of hematology, helping me train at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and later in Lyon. I asked her to co-supervise my PhD thesis, and she was instrumental in helping me spend a year at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota – a move that marked the beginning of what I hope will be a long-standing collaboration. She introduced me to key figures in the lymphoma community and gave me opportunities to speak and present at a very early stage, which helped establish my credibility in the field. Without her trust, energy, and scientific leadership, I simply would not have followed the path I’m on today.
Q2. What aspects of your work do you find the most fulfilling and challenging?
The most fulfilling part of my work is, without a doubt, the daily service we provide to patients as a team. They are both the essence and the purpose of what we do. Reaching that level of meaningful care involves giving them access to new therapies through clinical trials, advancing our understanding of diseases through research, and continuously rethinking care pathways through both local and national initiatives.
These efforts contribute to a broader transformation of our specialty. Knowing that our contributions will leave a lasting mark – and improve lives – is the most rewarding feeling of all.
Q3. Looking ahead, what do you anticipate will be the biggest advancements or changes in your field over the next decade?
In the coming years, I believe we’ll see a true paradigm shift in the management of aggressive B-cell lymphomas. These diseases are on the verge of becoming curable, or at least chronically manageable, with durable remissions in the majority of cases.
This will fundamentally change how we think about follow-up care and survivorship. Hematology is somewhat behind solid oncology in this respect, but we’re catching up. Designing survivorship programs, addressing late effects, and supporting patients well beyond remission will become a central part of our role as hematologists.
Q4. What role do patients play in shaping the way you approach treatments and make clinical decisions?
Patients play a crucial role in guiding therapeutic decisions. They express their wishes, the level of risk they are willing to take, and the side effects they find acceptable or intolerable. When this dialogue is less explicit, it’s our responsibility to adapt our strategies – to find the best compromise between efficacy and quality of life. Every patient’s journey is different, and so is their perception of what matters most. Integrating that into our clinical reasoning is essential to truly personalized care.
Disclosure: Côme Bommier is a consultant for JNJ and BMS, he has received grant/research support from Servier, he is on the Advisory Board for Cureety and Novartis and has received honoraria/honorarium from BeiGene.
Cite: Dr Côme Bommier on survivorship and shaping the future of lymphoma care: touchHAEMATOLOGY Future Leader 2025. touchHAEMATOLOGY. May 22nd, 2025
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