ABSTRACT
A palliative systemic therapy regimen may include a single agent or multiple drugs. A majority of chemotherapeutic agents and immunotherapy as well as some targeted agents are administered intravenously every few weeks, which constitutes one cycle. Palliative chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted agents, and immunotherapy can potentially decrease the tumor mass and metabolic activity, reduce symptom burden, delay disease progression, and prolong patient survival. Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting is one of the most feared concerns among patients receiving chemotherapy. Hot flashes occur in a majority of female and male cancer patients on hormonal therapy, and may also occur in individuals who experience premature menopause as a result of cytotoxic therapy. In this chapter, the authors discuss two classes of agents, epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors, and use them as examples to illustrate some common side effects related to targeted therapy.
