Publications by authors named "Eric L Tam"

Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-like acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a high-risk subtype with a gene expression profile similar to Ph-positive ALL, due to activation of tyrosine kinase signalling. To understand the clinical implications of Ph-like ALL, this single-centre retrospective study evaluates outcomes in 268 adults, largely Hispanic ALL patients treated between 2013 and 2024, with a subgroup analysis of 139 haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients. ALL subtypes included 68 (25.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a key treatment for high-risk acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), but finding suitable HLA-matched donors can be challenging, especially in Hispanic patients.
  • A study of 88 adult Hispanic B-cell ALL patients revealed that using matched sibling donors (MSD) led to worse relapse and survival rates compared to haploidentical donors, while matched unrelated donors (MUD) showed no significant difference.
  • The findings emphasize the need for careful donor selection, as outcomes were better with younger haploidentical donors, indicating a potential strategy to enhance treatment success in this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We describe a case of a 63-year-old woman with advanced colon cancer and liver metastases who was treated with fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) and cetuximab chemotherapy. She tolerated 13 cycles of chemotherapy without any significant hematological side effects, but after the 14th cycle, she developed melena and was admitted for severe thrombocytopenia. After supportive care, the platelet counts rapidly improved to 76,000/L.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purulent pericarditis is a localized infection with a thick, fibrinous hypercellular exudate and is historically associated with a high mortality. We describe a case of purulent pericarditis due to in a 30-year-old woman with sickle cell disease who presented with fever, dyspnea, and septicemia. Despite timely initiation of antibiotics, she developed a large purulent pericardial effusion requiring surgical pericardiocentesis followed by a pericardial window.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF