Spontaneous Tumor Lysis Syndrome in a Patient with Metastatic Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

Tumor Lysis Syndrome is characterized by an array of metabolic derangements such as hyperuricemia, hyperphosphatemia, hyperkalemia and hypocalcemia. The rapid release of cellular components into the cells after the lysis of malignant cells [1] leads to the above metabolic abnormalities. It is predominantly seen after the initiation of chemotherapy in hematological malignancies and is seldomly seen in solid tumors [1]. We present a case of a patient diagnosed with metastatic small cell carcinoma who developed tumor lysis syndrome prior to the initiation of chemotherapy, which is a rare manifestation of this disease. With a thorough search of Medline, Cochrane and CINAHL databases, to our knowledge this is the first reported case of spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome in small cell carcinoma of the lung.