title: Cardiotoxicity during chemotherapy treatment with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin.
abstract: Cardiotoxicity of 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin chemotherapy for esophageal, head and neck and gastric carcinoma was studied. Before treatment all patients had a cardiac evaluation and during treatment serial electrocardiographic (ECG) recordings were performed. In the pre-treatment evaluation signs of cardiovascular disease were found in 31(38.75%) patients. During treatment cardiotoxicity was observed in 12(15%) patients. The incidence of cardiotoxicity was not higher in patients with signs of cardiovascular disease than in those without in the pre-treatment evaluation. The most common signs of cardiotoxicity were chest pain, ST-T wave changes and arrhythmia. This study suggests that patients on 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin treatment should be under close supervision and that the treatment should be discontinued if chest pain and/or arrhythmias are observed.
authors.affiliation: KBC Kragujevac, Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Yugoslavia.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jeremic
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jevremovic
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Djuric
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mijatovic
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000150:complications; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000150:complications; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil