Acute spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome in a patient with Crohn's disease taking immunosuppressants

Acute tumour lysis syndrome (TLS) is a catastrophic complication of the treatment of certain neoplastic disorders. It most commonly occurs in association with hematologic malignancies and appears a few hours to a few days after initiation of specific chemotherapy, as the result from the release of intracellular components into the bloodstream due to abrupt malignant cell death. Acute spontaneous TLS is rare, and it has been described in leukemia and lymphoma and in some patients with solid tumors prior to institution of therapy. The syndrome is characterized by hyperuricemia, hyperphosphatemia, hypocalcemia, hyperkalemia, and acute oliguric or anuric renal failure due to uric acid precipitation within the tubules (acute uric acid nephropathy) and to calcium phosphate deposition in the renal parenchyma and vessels.We report a case of acute spontaneous TLS in a patient with Crohn s disease treated with immunosuppressive drugs, who developed a plasmocytoma, in which serum uric acid concentration attained exceptionally high levels (44 mg/dL). The patient underwent acute oliguric renal failure, which required treatment with hyperhydration, urine alkalinization, urate oxidase and hemodialysis, with a fatal evolution.In conclusion, the present case report has several peculiarities: that of being one of the rare examples of spontaneous TLS, that of showing an exceptionally severe hyperuricemia, probably the highest ever reported in the literature, and that of the possible increased risk of tumours in patients with Crohn s disease taking inmunosuppressives and/or TNF antagonists.