Cardiovascular Complications of Anticancer Therapy: Definition, Etiology, Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Classification (Part I)

Abstract

The given review is devoted to the problem of the cardiotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. Modern cytostatics cause clinically significant manifestations of cardiotoxicity - myocardial injuries, reducing both quality and life expectancy of oncological patients. Many of chemotherapeutic agents can cause cardiovascular complications such as the development of the left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure, myocardial ischemia, arterial hypertension, thromboembolism, QT prolongation and arrhythmias. The toxic influence of the most often used chemotherapeutic agents on heart (antimetabolites, alkylating agents, platinum compounds, taxanes, vinca alkaloids, monoclonal antibodies, anthracycline antibiotics, topoisomerase and protein kinase inhibitors, immunomodulatory agents and cytokines) has been described. The results of recent studies on etiology, epidemiology, classification and pathogenesis are presented in the first part of review. Most attention is paid to recent research in pathogenesis of chemotherapy induced cardiotoxicity. Given the numerous aspects of cardiotoxicity are not completely studied yet, obviously the further researches are needed in this field.