Medication-induced neurotoxicity in critically ill cancer patients

Neurotoxicity associated with cancer treatment and treatment for medical and surgical complications of cancer have been well recognized. Elderly patients, advanced cancer, concomitant polypharmacy, organ failure, and medical comorbidities are all confounders contributing to adverse events related to cancer therapy. Short-term and long-term neurotoxicities may lead to disabilities and poor quality of life in patients with cancer. As a result of early detection of cancer and advances in treatment, cancer survival rates have improved consistently over the last decades and thus longterm survivors may face physical and psychological challenges associated with cancer and cancer treatment. As such, understanding the pathogenic mechanisms, optimizing the strategies for clinical assessment and interventions for the management and prevention of medication-related neurotoxicity is of paramount importance in patient care. This chapter will address the neurotoxicity induced by a number of drug classes commonly used in the treatment of cancer patients.