Background: In the past cardiotoxicity has been increasingly reported as 5-fluorouracil is widely used as well in curative adjuvant as in palliative chemotherapy of malignant neoplasms.
Methods: We report on two cases of 5-fluorouracil-associated cardiotoxicity on palliative treatment of head and neck cancer and evaluate the importance of intensive drug monitoring.
Results: 5-fluorouracil-associated cardiotoxicity occurs with an incidence of 1.1-4.5%. Ischaemic cardiopathy due to vasospasms is believed to be the most common manifestation.
Conclusions: Since most patients with head and neck cancer have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, 5-fluorouracil-associated cardiotoxicity should not be underestimated and patients should be monitored carefully.