Tumor lysis syndrome and metastatic melanoma

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a potential emergent complication of oncologic treatment. TLS is commonly reported in hematological malignancies with rapid cell turnover rates, but is relatively rare in solid tumors. TLS is most frequently a result of cancer treatment in combination with a large tumor burden, but has occasionally been reported to occur spontaneously, especially in cases of advanced or metastatic disease. In this article, we describe the case of a patient with newly diagnosed metastatic melanoma that developed TLS two days after initiation of corticosteroids. In addition, we present a brief literature review of melanoma-associated TLS and review the etiology, diagnosis, and management of TLS.