ABSTRACT
Introduction In the last decade, the introduction of new cytotoxic agents for different tumor types has translated into a survival benefit in those patients with advanced disease and an improvement in cure rate in those treated in the adjuvant setting. The relatively non-selective cytotoxic agents have been joined recently by highly selective targeted agents. These novel drugs have improved the therapeutic index without increasing the toxic effects of cytotoxic agents, and these treatments may be better tolerated by all patients, including the elderly. Some of these agents have been approved by regulatory agencies and are used as standard treatments either as single agent or in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Nevertheless, new types of toxicity have been reported with these agents, quite different from the toxicities observed with chemotherapy.
