Can you tell me about the long term side effects from the chemotherapy drugs adriamycin (doxorubicin) and cytoxin?

TWO MAJOR ONES: Adriamycin (doxorubicin) and Cytoxan is a great combination regimen used in breast cancer. The major long term side effects for both of these drugs is secondary leukemias, risk is around 1%. For adriamycin (doxorubicin) there is a concern for cardiotoxicity, but risk rises with cumulative dose. Risk is less than 10%. Patients get an echocardiogram or muga scan prior to therapy to evaluate heart status. Talk to your md.

Both drugs have...: Significant ses. Anthracyclines like adriamycin (doxorubicin) are associated with cardiotoxicity. A cardioprotectant known as zinecard is being evaluated in many settings to try to mitigate this. Being topoisomerase inhibitors, anthracyclines carry a risk of secondary leukemia. Cytoxan also has this risk, but it tends to develop later. Hemorrhagic cystitis and SIADH are also Cytoxan ses. There are others tho.