The role of anthracyclines in cardio-oncology: oxidative stress, inflammation, and autophagy

In past decades, much effort was put to define the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy. As a result, administration protocols were refined and dosages were lowered according to new guidelines, whenever it was possible. To manage the delicate balance between tumor eradication and cardiac health of the patients, an increasing number of multidisciplinary cardio-oncology wards were created in past years in several hospitals. This new synergistic discipline is aimed at transferring from the bench to the bedside the novel approaches that come from basic and translational research.