Research Progress on Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for the Prevention and Treatment of Anthracycline-Induced Cardiac Toxicity: A Multi-Target Regulatory Network and Clinical Translation Perspective

Abstract

Anthracyclines form the cornerstone of chemotherapy for numerous solid tumours and haematological malignancies. However, their dose-dependent and cumulative cardiotoxicity severely limits their clinical efficacy. In Western medicine, dexrazoxane remains the only proven agent capable of effectively preventing anthracycline-induced cardiac toxicity. However, it diminishes the antitumour efficacy of anthracyclines and is associated with a range of adverse reactions, including bone marrow suppression, decreased appetite, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhoea. Against this backdrop, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), guided by its principles of holistic thinking and syndrome differentiation, demonstrates unique potential in preventing and treating chemotherapy side effects due to its multi-component, multi-target action characteristics. It has consequently emerged as a research focus in the field of oncocardiology. Analysis in this paper indicates that traditional Chinese medicines exhibit favourable feasibility and safety profiles, offering valuable insights for developing clinical strategies to prevent and manage anthracycline-induced cardiac toxicity.