BBC Anchor Maryam Moshiri Reveals 2-Year Blood Cancer Battle at 49

Q: Why did the standard first-line treatment for this rare blood cancer actually make her debilitating fatigue significantly worse?

It worsened her fatigue because the standard early treatment for polycythaemia vera, repeated venesection or phlebotomy, lowers the blood’s thickness by removing blood but can also deplete iron, and iron deficiency itself is a major cause of exhaustion. In PV, doctors often use venesection to bring the haematocrit down, usually below about 45%, because that reduces the risk of blood clots, stroke and heart attack. The treatment works mechanically: removing blood reduces the excess red-cell mass that makes the blood dangerously thick. But the same process repeatedly removes iron along with red blood cells. That can leave patients iron-deficient, especially when sessions are frequent. Iron is essential for making haemoglobin and supporting oxygen delivery, so low iron can trigger or intensify symptoms such as severe fatigue, weakness and “brain fog.” That is why a treatment meant to reduce clotting risk can paradoxically make day-to-day symptoms feel worse. That appears to be what happened in Maryam Moshiri’s case. She said the early run of venesections left her “exhausted and low on iron.” Specialists and patient advocates increasingly note that while phlebotomy remains a standard first-line approach, it does not treat the underlying abnormal blood-cell production and can impose a significant symptom burden. Her later move to interferon immunotherapy helped reduce the need for venesection, which is likely why her fatigue became more manageable.

Q: Could a simple routine blood test be the only way to catch this silent, incurable cancer before a fatal clot strikes?

A routine blood test is often the key way polycythaemia vera is caught early, but it is not the only way, and it does not by itself make the diagnosis. PV is a rare, slow-growing blood cancer that can produce few or no clear symptoms for years, so abnormal blood counts on routine testing are frequently the first warning before a clot, stroke or heart attack occurs. That is what happened in Maryam Moshiri’s case: a GP-ordered blood test triggered further checks. Experts say this is common because early PV symptoms — fatigue, headaches, dizziness, itching, brain fog or shortness of breath — are vague and easy to dismiss. In some patients, the first obvious sign is an unexpected clot. Doctors usually suspect PV when blood tests show raised haemoglobin or haematocrit, sometimes with high white cells or platelets. Confirmation typically needs more than one test, including erythropoietin levels and molecular testing for a JAK2 mutation, which is present in nearly all cases, and sometimes a bone marrow exam. So the danger is real: untreated PV thickens the blood and raises the risk of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke and heart attack. But “silent” does not mean undetectable. Routine blood work can provide the crucial early clue, and timely treatment such as venesection, low-dose aspirin when appropriate, and drugs including interferon can sharply reduce clot risk. With monitoring, many patients live active lives for years or decades.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 6

Maryam Moshiri said she has been living for two years with polycythaemia vera, a rare incurable blood cancer diagnosed in November 2024, and disclosed it now to raise awareness.
PV causes the body to make too many red blood cells, thickening the blood and increasing risks of stroke, heart attack and deep vein thrombosis, while often showing few clear symptoms.
Seven or eight venesection sessions in about five months left the BBC presenter exhausted and depleted in iron, but NHS interferon treatment later reduced that to one procedure in roughly 15 months.
The 49-year-old said fatigue has forced changes to family life even as she continued major BBC assignments abroad, and she described the disease as incurable but manageable with the right treatment.
Blood Cancer UK said public disclosures can break the silence around blood cancer—the UK's fifth most common cancer—and called for continued funding for kinder, more effective treatments.