Antraglycosides in oncology: efficacy and mechanisms of side effects

Oncological diseases occupy the second place in the structure of mortality of the population of Ukraine. Despite the emergence of targeted drugs, anthracycline group antitumor antibiotics (doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, etc.) remain basic cytostatics included in the WHO list of essential medicines. At the same time, improving long-term survival of cancer patients has actualized the problem of severe long-term complications of chemotherapy, which requires a detailed study of the safety profile of these drugs and their availability on the domestic market. The article systematizes modern data on the mechanisms of action of anthraglycoside antitumor antibiotics, mechanisms of their side effects and specific toxicity profile. The pathogenesis of key dose-limiting complications is characterized: hematotoxicity (the most frequent acute reaction - 35-42%), cardiotoxicity (registered in 57% of cases and carries the highest risk of mortality), gonadotoxicity with a high risk of irreversible infertility, as well as anthracycline-associated tumorigenesis (secondary leukemias with a short latency period of 1–3 years).