Vascular toxicity associated with chemotherapy and hormonotherapy.

Vascular complications associated with chemotherapy and hormonotherapy are being reported with increasing frequency. Such vascular toxicity is clinically heterogenous, ranging from asymptomatic venous lesions to fatal hepatic venoocclusive disease of the liver. Putative mechanisms for such toxicity include drug-induced endothelial cell damage, perturbation of the clotting cascade, platelet activation and aggregation, alteration of thromboxane-prostacyclin homeostasis, and dysregulation of cytokines. Better documentation of the incidence and types of vascular toxicity and studies to help elucidate the pathogenesis and management of such toxicity are needed.