Late effects of cancer chemotherapy

Patients with specific types of cancer have achieved substantial prolongation of survival after successful cancer chemotherapy. Furthermore, cancer chemotherapeutic agents are being widely used as immunosuppressive drugs in patients with benign conditions. Both of these patient populations are at risk for development of late complications of treatment. Though the late effects of chemotherapy are less well defined, they are insidious in onset and not manifested clinically until damage have become overt and irreversible. Many reports on the late effects of chemotherapy demonstrate the importance of assessing not only the therapeutic results of various treatment program but also of evaluating the long-term complications of therapy in order to maximize the benefit of the treatment. Thus, skillful and judicious application of chemotherapy produces a minimum of delayed consequences.