Urologie pro praxi 5/2018

Consequences of genitourinary malignancies therapy on cardiovascular system

Cardiovascular toxicity induced by conventional anticancer drugs (anthracyclines and platinum compounds) has historically been a relevant issue of patients with genitourinary malignancies. In addition, targeted and androgen-deprivation therapies can also induce cardiotoxicity in these patients. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a novel class of effective antineoplastic drugs with cardiotoxicity used in patients with urogenital malignancies. Cardiotoxicity has been long underestimated in clinical practice, but during the last years significant number of patients with serious cardiovascular complications during or after completion of anticancer therapy have been reported. Here we describe cardiotoxicity of the selected prominent drugs used in the field of urooncology which have received particular attention in recent years.

Keywords: cardiac toxicity, vascular toxicity, cisplatin, androgen-deprivation therapy, checkpoint inhibitors.