[Cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapy: possibilities of diagnosis]

Abstract

The authors give a brief summary about the process and significance of cardiotoxicity produced by chemotherapy and irradiation used for malignancy. After the introduction, those invasive and noninvasive processes are put into focus and explained in detail, which are applied in the research of the effects of cardiotoxic chemotherapy. The clinical importance of this research is the life prolongation effect of the treatment, which allows the late-appearing toxic cardiomyopathy, resulting in congestive heart failure and increasing mortality. Summarizing the last decade's progress in research, it is evident that even in the planning of chemotherapy, the cardiovascular risks have to be taken into account, because they can greatly influence the cardiac side effect of the treatment.