Toxicity of Chemotherapy—The Last Decade
In October 1992 Dr Michael Perry was Guest Editor for anissue of Seminars in Oncology devoted to chemotherapy
tox
jou
be
the
for
tum
19
Sem
of
an
the
tiv
ici
mi
do
dis
an
tox
ap
rip
de
com
ity
to
the
rol
itie
kidneys) review both drugs that have been available for years
and those approved in the past decade. Payne and colleagues
de
rel
pic
Sh
the
up
Do
the
suc
the
dro
ing
of
for
de
wh
Re
1.
2.
Volume 33, Number 1 February 2006
009
doi
icity, and that issue was published a decade after a similar
rnal issue devoted to the topic.1,2 Since then, a large num-
r of antitumor agents have been approved for marketing in
United States, and most of these agents are now available
routine clinical use around the world. In fact, more anti-
or agents have probably been approved for marketing in
95 to 2005 than in any other previous decade. This issue of
inars is also devoted to chemotherapy toxicity, but many
the more recently approved agents are emphasized.
Ng and colleagues have discussed cardiotoxicity of agents
d presented updated information on the cardiotoxicity of
anthracyclines. With the availability of the cardioprotec-
e agent dexrazoxane in the past decade, this form of tox-
ty of the anthracyclines can now be prevented or mini-
zed even when these agents are given at greater cumulative
ses than are usually considered safe. These authors also
cuss trastuzumab (another new agent in the past decade)
d what has been learned regarding its potential for cardio-
icity in the settings of both metastatic and adjuvant ther-
y of breast cancer.
Hausheer and coauthors have reviewed the topic of pe-
heral neuropathy caused by antitumor agents in great
pth. In his role as the Chief Executive Officer of a drug
pany developing an agent to protect against such toxic-
, Dr Hausheer has perhaps devoted more time and energy
researching this topic than any other medical oncologist in
world, particularly regarding how a set of subjective neu-
ogic symptoms and their cumulative impairment of activ-
s of daily living can be accurately assessed in serial fashion.
The articles on toxicity to major organs (liver, lungs, and
3-7754/06/$-see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
:10.1053/j.seminoncol.2005.11.017
voted their paper to the dermatologic toxicity of the agents
eased for marketing in the past decade and have provided
tures of some representative examples of such toxicity.
ahab, Haider, and Doll provide an encyclopedic review of
vascular toxicity of cancer chemotherapeutic agents and
date previous publications on the topic authored by Dr
ll.
Myelotoxicity and gastrointestinal toxicity are reviewed in
context of the multiple new agents available to assuage
h toxicity, such as the hematopoietic growth factors and
agents that selectively block serotonin 5-HT3 (5-hy-
xytrytamine) receptors and minimize nausea and vomit-
.
Finally, Goolsby and Lombardo discuss the management
extravasation of chemotherapeutic agents. Although this
m of drug toxicity is fortunately rare, when it does occur,
vastating surface tissue destruction is often the result,
ich may require plastic surgical repair.
Raymond B. Weiss, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine
Lombardi Cancer Center
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington, DC
E-mail: RayWeissMD@aol.com
ferences
Perry MC (ed): Toxicity of chemotherapy. Semin Oncol 19:453-609,
1992
Perry MC (ed): Toxicity of chemotherapy. Semin Oncol 9:1-154, 1982
1