Spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome (sTLS) is a life‐threatening oncometabolic emergency that remains poorly documented in low‐resource settings. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the prevalence, risk factors, and prognostic implications of sTLS in adults with aggressive hematologic malignancies in Dakar, Senegal. Twenty‐six newly diagnosed patients (18 with aggressive non‐Hodgkin lymphomas and 8 with acute leukemias) were included between April 2020 and April 2021. sTLS was defined according to the Cairo–Bishop criteria. Clinical, biological, and survival data were analyzed using univariate tests and Kaplan–Meier estimates. The prevalence of sTLS was 30.8% (8/26). Acute kidney injury was the only factor significantly associated with sTLS ( p = 0.005), while hyperleukocytosis and bulky tumor burden were not correlated. All patients received hyperhydration, and patients at high risk received allopurinol, resulting in normalization of metabolic disturbances within 1 week. Early mortality (≤ 3 months) occurred in 15.4% of patients, and overall mortality reached 38.5%, mainly due to advanced disease. Survival did not differ significantly between patients with and without sTLS (log‐rank = 0.7). In conclusion, sTLS is frequent in Senegalese patients with aggressive hematologic malignancies. Early detection and basic supportive care remain effective for preventing fatal complications in the absence of rasburicase.
Diallo et al. (Thu,) studied this question.