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Clinical Ophthalmic Oncology pp 129–142Cite as

Principles and Complications of Chemotherapy

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Abstract

One of the most essential methods of treating cancer is with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Several primary and secondary ophthalmologic cancers exist that benefit from treatment with chemotherapy. Most chemotherapy drugs have nonselective mechanisms of action against DNA, RNA, proteins, or metabolic pathways in tumor cells, but because of the nonselective properties of chemotherapy, normal cells are also affected. Chemotherapy is often given in combination with other agents to enhance cytotoxic effects, combat multidrug resistance, and reduce risk of relapse. Chemotherapy is given in repetitive cycles at maximum tolerated doses in order to allow for a constant fraction of tumor cell kill and to allow for recovery of affected normal cells. Antineoplastic drugs have the narrowest therapeutic window of any class of drugs, so the treating physician must balance the risk of toxicities against the risk of relapse in choosing chemotherapy regimens for patients with ophthalmologic cancers. This chapter will discuss the basic principles of cytotoxic chemotherapy, review some of the commonly used treatment regimens of ophthalmologic cancers, and review common toxicities of chemotherapy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Stacey Zahler

  2. Division of Ophthalmology and Vitreoretinal Service, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Nicola G. Ghazi

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Nicola G. Ghazi

  4. Department of Ophthalmic Oncology, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Arun D. Singh

Authors
  1. Stacey Zahler
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  2. Nicola G. Ghazi
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  3. Arun D. Singh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stacey Zahler .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmic Oncology, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Arun D. Singh

  2. Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK

    Bertil E. Damato

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Zahler, S., Ghazi, N.G., Singh, A.D. (2019). Principles and Complications of Chemotherapy. In: Singh, A., Damato, B. (eds) Clinical Ophthalmic Oncology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04489-3_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04489-3_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04488-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04489-3

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