Dermatologic adverse events to chemotherapeutic agents, Part 1: cytotoxic agents, epidermal growth factor inhibitors, multikinase inhibitors, and proteasome inhibitors

Dermatologic toxicities have profound effects on patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer treatment. Cytotoxic chemotherapies are associated with a number of nonspecific dermatologic adverse events including alopecia, mucositis, and onychodystrophy. Targeted therapies including epidermal growth factor inhibitors, multikinase inhibitors, and proteasome inhibitors are associated with different skin reactions that are class-specific. In Part 1 of this review, we examine the presentations of the most common dermatologic adverse events associated with the above drugs and discuss the strategies used for their prevention and treatment.