Definition of Doxorubicin cardiomyopathy

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Doxorubicin cardiomyopathy: Heart disease due to the drug doxorubicin (brand name:Adriamycin), a potent broad-spectrum antitumor agent effective in treating a variety of cancers including solid tumors and leukemia. Unfortunately, its clinical use is limited by dose-dependent cardiac side effects that lead to degenerative cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, and death. In addition, some adult patients treated with the drug when they were children later develop dilated cardiomyopathy.

Endocardial biopsies from patients undergoing doxorubicin therapy reveal a disruption of myofibrils, impairment of microtubule assembly, and a swelling of the endoplasmic reticulum. Doxorubicin cardiotoxicity is also characterized by a dose-dependent decline in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and a decrease in high-energy phosphate pools.