Prevention and treatment for adverse events induced by chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is frequently adopted for patients with solid cancer, as one of type of multidisciplinary treatment. Each chemotherapeutic drug has the potential to induce various adverse events in the patients receiving chemotherapy. Before the application of chemotherapy, sufficient knowledge and careful measures are indispensable to avoid adverse events, since uncontrolled adverse events cause a markedly lower quality of life and make completion of the treatment modality, one of the prognostic factors, difficult. Many adverse events have been reported. The mechanisms of some agents have been clarified, and prevention and treatments are feasible for adverse events caused by certain chemotherapeutic drugs. However, most adverse effects induced by chemotherapy have not yet been resolved. Frequent acute adverse events are reviewed from the standpoint of prevention and treatment.