RT Book, Section A1 Hale, Kaye E. A2 Hall, Jesse B. A2 Schmidt, Gregory A. A2 Kress, John P. SR Print(0) ID 1107723110 T1 Toxicities of Chemotherapy T2 Principles of Critical Care, 4e YR 2015 FD 2015 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071738811 LK accessanesthesiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1107723110 RD 2024/11/09 AB Most antineoplastic agents have toxic side effects.New antineoplastic agents are frequently being developed and not all side effects are known.Diagnosis or organ dysfunction due to drug toxicity is largely a diagnosis of exclusion.Maintaining a level of clinical suspicion is key to detection of drug toxicity.Therapy for drug-induced toxicity is largely supportive.Myelosuppression is a common toxic side effect from high-dose combination chemotherapy regimens used in leukemia and bone marrow transplant patients.Pulmonary toxicity may manifest as ARDS especially in patients undergoing treatment for hematologic malignancies (eg, cytarabine or gemcitabine) and pulmonary fibrosis (eg, bleomycin).Cardiotoxic side effects of anthracyclines such as doxorubicin can lead to refractory heart failure if not identified and managed early, while treatment with 5-FU may precipitate symptoms of acute MI due to vasospasm in patients with underlying risk factors for heart disease.Mucositis of the oropharynx and GI tract is painful and can lead to dehydration and malnutrition. Severe cases of oral mucositis may require intubation for airway protection.Intractable nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can lead to dehydration, hypovolemia, and electrolyte disturbances.Nephrotoxicity is a dose-limiting side effect of cisplatin and causes renal salt wasting syndrome.During treatment with methotrexate, special attention must be paid to urinary pH to avoid precipitation in the renal tubules resulting in ATN and renal obstruction.Both peripheral and central nervous system toxicities, including posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), are reported after high-dose chemotherapy.The spectrum of severity of hypersensitivity reactions ranges from flushing and rash to anaphylactic shock. Common causes of these reactions include paclitaxel, platinum compounds, and monoclonal antibodies.Venous thromboembolic disease is a well-known complication of tamoxifen.Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) or thrombotic microangiopathy has been associated with mitomycin, cisplatin, and gemcitabine.