Protecting the bladder from cyclophosphamide with mesna

How can patient care be improved beyond medical treatment?

The outcome of systemic necrotizing vasculitides, with treatment, has improved over the past few decades, with a 5 year survival rate that currently exceeds 80%. It is now well established that therapy has to be adapted to aetiology, pathogenesis and disease severity, but complementary measures can also be beneficial, for example systematic prophylaxis against infections and/or adjusting drug doses to biological parameters and the patient's general condition, especially for the elderly and those in intensive care units. A multifaceted and point-by-point approach to patient care is needed to further improve quality of life whenever possible.

Toxicology of oncologic drugs

The drugs used in clinical oncology are inherently toxic because they are designed to kill host cells. For the most part, the toxic effects occur in tissues with high growth fractions--that is, bone marrow, gastrointestinal epithelium, and hair follicles. Nevertheless, certain drugs do cause harm to other organs. At therapeutic doses of anticancer drugs, the toxicoses are usually mild to moderate and can be managed without undue discomfort to the animal. Occasionally, however, life-threatening cytopenias occur. By contrast, with drug overdose, life-threatening toxicoses can be a very real concern.