How Target Therapy can Induce Cardiotoxicity: The Onco-Cardiologist Point of View

Abstract

The life expectancy of an oncological patient has been increased significantly decades due to the evolution of cancer therapies. The aim of this paper is to review how these new target molecules, which have a direct impact on the cancer cell as opposed to the classical chemotherapy, known to all of us for a long time. How do they act specifically? What are their cardiotoxic effects at a short and long time period? How can they be monitored? How can they be prevented and treated? And above all, how can we prevent an oncological patient to become a cardiovascular one later on, due to induced cardiotoxicity caused by oncological therapies. We have to treat our patients as a whole and not only, target therapy to one of the pieces of the puzzle.