Management of the toxicities of common targeted therapeutics for gynecologic cancers

As precision medicine has become a focus in oncology in recent years, many targeted and biologic agents are being used along with or in place of traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. As these drugs have been developed and some have received FDA approval, we have gained substantial data about the adverse event profiles. However, the management and approach to the toxicities incurred and subsequent complications are often not well understood, especially for physicians who have a varied clinical practice. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the frequency and types of adverse events and appropriate management steps when prescribing modern targeted therapies for gynecologic cancers in the classes of anti-angiogenic agents, poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, and immunotherapy drugs.