CARDIOTOXICITY OF ANTICANCER DRUGS

Advances in the treatment of cancer aim to increase the survival of patients suffering from this disease. Since more patients survive and reach an older age, long-term complications of their anticancer treatment, such as cardiotoxicity, may surface increasingly. In addition to chest wall irradiation, several cytostatic agents,1 of which the anthracyclines are the most important, can induce cardiotoxicity. These cardiovascular complications can occur acute (during administration), early (several days to months following administration), or late (years to decades following exposure). Therefore, prediction and early detection of cardiotoxicity, preferentially before symptoms of cardiac dysfunction develop, are becoming increasingly important in the follow-up of cancer patients. Primary prevention and early intervention are of imminent importance.