TACE With Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity

Doxorubicin is an effective chemotherapeutic drug used in transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Although very effective, this molecule is known for its potential severe cardiotoxicity, which was the purpose for the development of drug-eluting beads-TACE that showed similar efficacy and improved safety. We present the case of a 58-year-old man with hepatocellular carcinoma who received 5 treatments of conventional TACE with doxorubicin and developed severe cardiotoxicity. Although the cardiotoxic effect of TACE with doxorubicin has already been reported in the literature, this case has serious implications, because the patient had to be removed from the liver transplant waitlist and this development could have been prevented. We believe that this complication of TACE should be more known, and hence more sought out. We also believe that drug-eluting beads-TACE should be preferred because it was proven safer in more frail patients.