Toxic Effects of Cancer Therapies

Cancer treatment is evolving due to an ever-growing array of medicines and better cancer survival rates. However, increased mortality and morbidity rates associated with the chemotherapy-induced adverse effects have transformed the scenario. Chemotherapeutic agents induce severe side effects that result in different types of toxicity, such as neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, vascular toxicity, respiratory toxicity, and dermal toxicity. Diverse treatment regimens and diagnostic techniques are developed for cancer therapy-induced toxicity. Cancer treatment also contributes to the financial toxicity for the patient. It covers both major out-of-pocket expenses for medical care and additional expenses like time, travel, and job disruptions that might add to the burden of cancer. This chapter discusses various anticancer treatments associated with toxicities, their diagnosis, available interventions, and the clinical needs to handle them effectively.