Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

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HOW NEPHROTOXIC IS THE CANCER THERAPY IN CHILDREN?

CRISTINA GAVRILOVICI 1#, ANDREI LUCA 2,5*, SABINA ANTONELA ANTONIU 3, KAISSER GALLABY 1, RALUCA ŞTEFĂNESCU 2, MAGDALENA STÂRCEA 1#, INGRITH MIRON 1, VERONICA BILD 2,4

1.”Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Children’s Hospital “St. Maria” Iaşi, Romania
2.”Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, CEMEX Department, Iași, Romania
3.”Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Medicine II-Nursing/Palliative Care Iași, Romania
4.”Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacodynamics and Clinical Pharmacy Department, Iași, Romania
5.”Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Medicine II - Pneumology Iași, Romania
*corresponding author: lc_andrei@yahoo.com
#Authors with equal contribution

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Cancer mortality and morbidity rates in children are significantly higher, even long after cessation of treatment, than in the general population. Impaired renal function is one of the most severe observed late-effects after childhood cancer treatment. The current in depth review aims to underline the main features of the major drugs included in the chemotherapy regimens in children. For each of these drugs, we present the incidence and risk factors. The main pathophysiologic hypothesis of the drug nephrotoxicity, the clinical and biological features and the principal preventative and therapeutic methods are also presented. The associated comorbidities derived from nephrotoxicity are serious enough to consider the cancer prognosis as being unlikely optimistic. Further research is needed to provide less nephrotoxic drugs, to better identify renoprotective strategies and stratify the risk for nephrotoxicity.