Antitumour Drug Induced Cardiovascular Toxicity and Current Tumour Treatment Methods

Abstract

Currently the oncological mortality takes the second place globally, the leading cause being cardiovascular diseases. The statistics of malignant neoplasms is rather negative all over the world. 10 million of cases of oncological disorders are diagnosed annually; this means that 27 million people fall sick with oncological diseases annually. It was established in 2019 that there are 14 million people suffering from oncological diseases, 8.2 million of these die. WHO anticipates that in 20 years’ time the malignant neoplasm incidence statistics will be on an increase as the number of new cases will reach 20 million, 12 million out of which will die. Regardless of such formidable figures medicine does not stand still; keeping up with the times, the science attempts to develop cutting edge methods of treating malignant tumours. As a result, the treatment of malignant neoplasms is continuing to improve. However, the number of side effects is also growing, thus requiring research attention. Therefore, the significance of the impact that oncological drugs have on a patient’s body is becoming more and more urgent for further discussion. While current tumour treatment methods involving drugs such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, anthracycline chemotherapy and immunotherapy protocols are effective for the treatment of various forms of cancer, these drugs affect the DNA replication process thus resulting in endothelial dysfunction and nonspecific immune response. This causes cardiotoxic side effects. Cardiotoxicity, in its turn, is a notion that includes various adverse events involving the cardiovascular system of oncological patients receiving drug treatment. Cardiotoxicity may develop during treatment or following its completion.