Cardiovascular safety of VEGF-targeting therapies: current evidence and handling strategies

The content of this article has been reviewed by independent peer reviewers to ensure that it is balanced, objective, and free from commercial bias. No financial relationships relevant to the content of this article have been disclosed by the independent peer reviewers. Treatment with the angiogenesis inhibitors bevacizumab, sunitinib, and sorafenib as single agents or in combination with conventional chemotherapy is becoming a corner-stone of modern anticancer therapy. However, the poten-tial toxicity of these drugs, mainly to the cardiovascular system, is still being investigated. Patient assessment at baseline, of crucial importance in candidates for treat-ment, involves the evaluation of risk factors and screening for past or present cardiovascular disease. Strict monitor-ing of treatment-related adverse effects must be conducted in order to allow the early detection of cardiovascular tox-icities and their prompt medication. In the present paper, the most frequent cardiovascular toxicities and their un-derlying mechanisms are investigated, with a view to pro-viding indications for effective patient management. The Oncologist 2010;15:683–69