Doxorubicin is an anthracycline antibiotic extracted from the bacterium Streptomyces peucetius. Its cytotoxic effect produced by intercalating with DNA causing breakdown of DNA strand which causes cancer cell apoptosis. Despite being an effective anticancer agent it causes several crucial side effects like carditoxicity, neuropathy, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, alopecia, typhlitis, myelosuppression, neutropenia, anaemia, thrombocytopenia, nausea, and diarrhoea were caused mainly due to the inability to distinguish between cancer cells and normal cells. This chapter mainly focuses on doxorubicin’s side effects, current understanding of the molecular mechanisms, and management and preventive strategies of doxorubicin’s cardiotoxicity during the treatment of various type of cancer.
Part of the book: Advances in Precision Medicine Oncology
Cancer is caused by genetic changes controlling cell progression and differentiation. These changes are unregulated when tumours advance and acquire invasive and metastatic capacities due to the innate biologic characteristics of the cancer cell. In vivo and in vitro models show that these molecular changes are crucial for tumour development and survival. These molecular changes can be used to develop pristine cancer treatments. New methodological molecules are being developed to identify cancer-specific modifications in proteins, DNA, and RNA, as well as molecular distinctions between healthy and cancer cells. This approach enables effective early detection, precise diagnosis, and quick cancer therapy. DNA microarray techniques have been developed for identifying cancer-associated mutations and gene profiles. Molecular cancer diagnostics need improvement alongside advances in genomics, precision medicine, and immunotherapy. This chapter discusses different molecular diagnostics in the evaluation of cancers.
Part of the book: Molecular Diagnostics of Cancer [Working title]