TLS can cause potentially devastating symptoms like irregular heartbeats, seizures,acute kidney failure, and coma.
It most often occurs with blood cancers but can happen with certain solid tumor cancers as well.
The treatment is primarily focused on reducing uric acid levels and normalizing electrolyte levels with medications and hydration.
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This article describes the causes and symptoms of tumor lysis syndrome, including who is most at risk.
It also explains how TLS is treated and prevented.
Why Does Tumor Lysis Syndrome Occur?
Tumor lysis syndrome shows up when a large number of cancer cells die suddenly.
The massive death of tumor cells also triggers the release of inflammatory proteins calledcytokines.
Tumors vulnerable to TLS are typically aggressive (fast-growing) and highly responsive tochemotherapy.
Other Risk Factors
Tumour lysis syndrome typically occurs at the start of chemotherapy.
TLS can also occur spontaneously, but this is rare.
To aid in the diagnosis, providers often use the Cairo and Bishop classification system.
This system classifies TLS based on laboratory findings and clinical features.
TLS is most common with aggressive blood cancers and certain solid tumor cancers like small cell lung cancer.
2015;169(5):661-71. doi:10.1111/bjh.13403
