BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri reveals she has blood cancer

BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has revealed that she is living with polycythaemia vera, a rare blood cancer that cannot be cured but can be managed effectively.

Moshiri, one of the BBC’s best-known news anchors, said she decided to speak publicly to raise awareness. “It’s been two years since my diagnosis and I’ve felt that I’ve started to understand the disease a lot better and the way it affects my life,” she told the BBC. “I’ve got a handle on it to a degree now, so I felt it was really important to raise awareness.”

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It’s been two years since my diagnosis and I’ve felt that I’ve started to understand the disease a lot better and the way it affects my life. I’ve got a handle on it to a degree now, so I felt it was really important to raise awareness.

She said her consultant told her she had “this incurable blood cancer,” but that she had mostly experienced no symptoms. Her diagnosis came after her GP carefully reviewed routine blood tests and immediately sent them for further investigation.

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I was told by my consultant that I have this incurable blood cancer. Mostly I had no symptoms and that’s one of the problems with this disease.

PV causes the body to produce too many red blood cells, making the blood thicker and increasing the risk of blood clots. Those clots can lead to a stroke, heart attack or deep vein thrombosis. Moshiri initially underwent seven or eight hour-long venesection sessions over about five months. The treatment reduced the thickness of her blood, but also caused her iron levels to fall sharply.

She later began interferon immunotherapy through the NHS. After adjustments to the treatment, she said she had needed only one venesection in about 15 months and felt better. “I think it’s really important people understand that this blood cancer is incurable but it’s manageable with the right treatment and you can lead a relatively healthy life,” she said. “It’s just a question of finding the right treatment and making sure it works for you.”

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I think it’s really important people understand that this blood cancer is incurable but it’s manageable with the right treatment and you can lead a relatively healthy life.