Cardiotoxicity associated with targeted cancer therapies

Compared with traditional chemotherapy, targeted cancer therapy is a novel strategy in which key molecules in signaling pathways involved in carcinogenesis and tumor spread are inhibited. Targeted cancer therapy has fewer adverse effects on normal cells and is considered to be the future of chemotherapy. However, targeted cancer therapy-induced cardiovascular toxicities are occasionally critical issues in patients who receive novel anticancer agents, such as trastuzumab, bevacizumab, sunitinib and imatinib. The aim of this review was to discuss these most commonly used drugs and associated incidence of cardiotoxicities, including left ventricular dysfunction, heart failure, hypertension and thromboembolic events, as well as summarize their respective molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular adverse effects.