Title : Anthracycline-induced chemotherapy cardiotoxicity and its impact in odonto-stomatological practice
Abstract:
Introduction: Anticancer drugs exert harmful side effects on healthy tissues of the body. Cardiac adverse effects are mainly associated with certain agents, particularly anthracyclines.
Clinical Observation: A 44-year-old woman with a history of right breast carcinoma treated with chemotherapy, presenting multiple secondary skeletal, cranial, and maxillary bone metastases, attended the consultation at the Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Surgery, University Hospital Center of Oran, with irreversible chemotherapy-induced heart disease.
Discussion: Anthracyclines are antimitotic agents that have been successfully used in the treatment of various hematological malignancies and solid tumors such as breast carcinomas. However, their use is limited by well-recognized cardiotoxicity, the consequence of which is a risk of heart failure. This may complicate, or sometimes even prevent, the surgical management of cancers, thereby promoting metastasis, as described in the present case. The risk of cardiotoxicity in patients undergoing chemotherapy should draw our attention, highlighting the importance of performing a cardiological assessment to detect any underlying heart disease in order to improve the quality of oral and dental care for this category of patients.
Conclusion: The principles of oral and dental management in cancer patients must take into account the chemotherapy protocol and its complications.
