The Role of Doxorubicin in the Formation of Cardiotoxicity – Generally Accepted Statement. Part I. Prevalence and Mechanisms of Formation (Review)

Introduction . Long-term use of anthracyclines during cancer chemotherapy has been associated with the development of potentially life-threatening cardiotoxicity. Despite researches ongoing since the middle of the last century, approaches to the choice of therapy remain limited. Text . Doxorubicin currently is the most widely used chemotherapy. The leading side effect mechanism of the drug is the formation of reactive oxygen species in mitochondria with the mediated development of oxidative stress, which contributes to myocardial damage. However, despite the huge number of scientific papers devoted to various aspects of doxorubicin cardiotoxicity, its prevention and treatment, this issue requires detailed investigation in order to develop more advanced methods for early diagnosis and timely cardioprotective therapy. Conclusion . The current review discusses the pathogenetic mechanisms of cardiotoxicity associated with the use of doxorubicin chemotherapy. The pathogenesis of the cardiomyocytes death mechanism will provide an opportunity to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in the clinical practice.