According to a 14-year study of testicular cancer survivors, the long-term risk of hearing loss in people receiving chemotherapy may be significantly increased.
For many years, the medication in question, cisplatin, has been a staple of cancer chemotherapy. It is frequently used to treat a variety of malignancies, such as testicular, bladder, lung, and neck tumors.
According to research co-author Dr. Robert Frisina, knowing that cisplatin may affect a person’s hearing may assist in guiding treatment decisions. He is the chair of the University of South Florida’s (USF) medical engineering department.
According to a USF news release, “This research gives oncologists the information they need to explore alternative treatment plans that could reduce the long-term side effects.”
The amount of hearing loss increased as the cisplatin dosage increased. This was particularly true for people who also had other risk factors, like heart disease and high blood pressure.
How might hearing be impacted by cisplatin? The medication is injected intravenously and permeates a large portion of the body, according to Sanchez’s team. Nevertheless, cisplatin may find it especially difficult to get through the ears, where it may collect.
According to the USF team, once cisplatin is within the ear, it may cause inflammation and the loss of sensory cells that the ears need to process sound. Long-lasting hearing loss may be the outcome of chemotherapy.
According to Sanchez, all of this is in favor of routine hearing testing for cancer patients.
She pointed out that the majority of patients still do not get their hearing examined before, during, or after chemotherapy. “The results of our study demonstrate the importance of routine auditory assessments in managing and reducing long-term hearing impairment.”
There are plans to follow up with the males in the study more.
It will be crucial to monitor these patients for the rest of their lives. Their median age is just 48 years old now, and they will ultimately reach the age when age-related hearing loss also starts to appear, according to Dr. Lois Travis, the study’s principal author. She is an Indiana University School of Medicine cancer research professor.
