Gallium imaging in a patient with tumor lysis syndrome

Tumor lysis syndrome is a potentially life threatening disorder, characterized by hyperkalemia, hypermagnesaemia, hyperphosphatemia, elevated levels of serum creatinine and urea, indicating renal dysfunction because of rapid lysis of a large number of tumor cells. It is most likely to occur after chemotherapy of cancers highly responsive to chemotherapeutic drugs, such as malignant lymphomas. These patients should receive prophylactic treatment especially during their first course of chemotherapy, and laboratory tests should be performed daily to avoid this serious complication. Here, a patient with malignant lymphoma referred for gallium scan is presented. The imaging findings with association to the laboratory results and clinical progress suggested the diagnosis of tumor lysis syndrome. © 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.