Anthracyclines are a type of chemotherapy that treat several different types of cancer including (but not limited to) leukemia, lymphomas, breast, uterine, ovarian, and lung cancers. Anthracyclines are technically antibiotics, although their high toxicity precludes their use as such. A major side effect from this type of chemotherapy is that it can lead to heart problems in some patients. The risk for heart problems can remain elevated long after cancer treatment is finished.

Researchers are looking to find ways to lower the risk of patients developing heart problems after treatment without sacrificing the effectiveness of the drugs. They reviewed information from six previously published clinical trials and found that if the infusion of anthracyclines are given slower, over a period of six hour or longer, it appears to reduce the risk of heart problems.

Available anthracyclines include:

• Daunorubicin
• Doxorubicin
• Epirubicin
• Idarubicin
• Mitoxantrone