Objective: Venous and arterial thromboembolic events and rarely hemorrhage are complications of chemotherapy and, more recently, of molecular targeted therapy in patients with solid and hematologic malignancies. This article will use a drug-based approach to illustrate, with examples, vessel damage and end-organ damage induced by molecular targeted therapy and chemotherapy in cancer patients and will provide a clinical perspective.
Conclusion: Imaging plays a key role in the detection of complications of cancer therapies. A high index of suspicion and an awareness of modern-day drug toxicities are key to the early diagnosis and management of these complications.
Keywords: chemotherapy; embolism; hemorrhage; molecular targeted therapy; thrombosis.