Cardiotoxicity of antitumor therapy in children. Literature review

Relevance. Cardiotoxicity of antitumor therapy in children represents the important problem in pediatric oncology. In recent decades, due to the introduction of new treatment methods, there has been a significant increase in the survival rate of children with oncologic diseases, but cardiovascular complications developing during antitumor treatment become a frequent problem and have a serious impact on the quality of life of patients, as well as may increase the risks of lethal outcomes. Objective. To review the existing data on cardiotoxicity resulting from the use of antitumor drugs in children, with emphasis on the mechanisms of its development, clinical manifestations, diagnostic methods, approaches to treatment and prevention. Materials and Methods. When writing the literature review, data were analyzed in databases PubMed, Scopus, eLIBRARY devoted to the problem of cardiotoxicity of antitumor therapy in children for the period 2013–2024. Conclusion. Cardiotoxicity remains an important and underestimated problem in pediatric oncology. Objective assessment of cardiovascular risk before, during and after chemotherapy, timely diagnosis of complications and implementation of cardioprotection methods can significantly improve the quality and duration of life of children with malignant diseases. Further research is needed to develop standardized protocols for screening and prevention of cardiotoxicity in these children.