The role of side effects of anticancer therapy in the life of patients and in the healthcare system.

Preventing the severity of side effects from anticancer therapy and reducing the number of hospitalizations due to severe chemotherapy complications remains a pressing and unresolved issue in oncology and healthcare. Complications from anticancer therapy lead to a decrease in patients’ quality of life, disrupt the interval between treatment courses, and negatively impact the overall effectiveness of treatment. Hospitalizations associated with the development of side effects from cytostatic incur additional costs for the healthcare system and increase mortality. Purpose of the study is: To identify opportunities to prevent the severity of side effects and initiate treatment early in order to prevent hospitalizations due to adverse events from anticancer therapy, improve treatment outcomes, and enhance the quality of life of cancer patients. Materials and methods. A literature review was conducted in open Russian and English-language sources, as well as in Russian and international databases (Cyberleninka, Pubmed). The search depth was 25 years. Database searches were conducted using the keywords «chemotherapy complications,» «side effects of cytostatics,» «hospitalization of patients with chemotherapy complications,» and «incidence of grade 3–4 chemotherapy complications.» The data obtained were systematized and divided into two sections: frequency of side effects and hospitalization rate. Results. The severity and type of side effects depend on the group of drugs used, the chosen treatment protocol, the stage of the disease, and the patient’s comorbidities. Toxicity is a common problem among cancer patients. The most common complications of chemotherapy are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and alopecia. The most severe complications, such as febrile neutropenia complicated by a systemic infection and cardiotoxicity (myocardial ischemia and cardiac arrhythmias), lead to hospitalization. Conclusions. Currently, the frequency and severity of side effects in patients receiving anticancer drug therapy, as well as the rate of hospitalizations associated with complications of anticancer drug therapy, have been insufficiently studied. Assessing the socioeconomic impact of side effects and developing effective strategies for their prevention are pressing issues. Knowledge and use of available risk assessment tools can reduce the number of unnecessary hospitalizations.