Cytostatic and cytotoxic drugs

Publisher Summary The wide range of cytostatic and cytotoxic drugs, the multitude of their adverse effects, and the fact that they are generally used in combinations of several agents all make it impossible to provide as a review of adverse reactions to all the drugs in this field. This chapter focuses on taxanes and other microtubule stabilizing agents and presents review on the use of carboxypeptidase in the treatment of methotrexate toxicity. In a study presented in the chapter, it has been suggested that paclitaxel (microtubule stabilizing agents) has antiangiogenic effects through selective inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. In addition, paclitaxel has been associated with disturbances in cardiac rhythm, but the relevance of these effects has not been fully established. Interactions with paclitaxel are discussed in the chapter. The most important of these are pharmacodynamic interactions with other cytostatic drugs; pharmacokinetic interactions are described in the chapter.