According to researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), hearing loss and tinnitus are common side effects among adult cancer survivors. In their recent study, 50% of the participants who received chemotherapy reported significant hearing loss and tinnitus.
An earlier study found hearing loss in adult patients receiving platinum drugs for testicular and head and neck cancers. The UCSF study revealed hearing problems could also occur with breast, gastrointestinal, gynecologic, and lung cancers.
Why it matters
The UCSF researchers recommend patients have their hearing evaluated before, during, and following chemotherapy. Hearing loss and tinnitus interrupt routine activities such as sleep.
U.S. FDA approves Fennec's hearing loss therapy
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Fennec Pharmaceuticals Inc's intravenous therapy, PEDMARK®, to prevent chemotherapy-induced hearing loss in children.
The intravenous therapy reduces the risk of ototoxicity associated with cisplatin in pediatric patients one month of age and older with localized, non-metastatic tumors.
This approval makes PEDMARK the first and only treatment approved by the FDA in this area of significant unmet medical need. —Fennec Pharmaceuticals
Cisplatin treats a range of cancers in children, such as liver, bone, and brain cancer, but can cause permanent hearing loss.
Why it matters
Nearly 10,000 children in the U.S. and Europe receive chemotherapy with cisplatin or similar drugs each year, and the incidence of hearing loss depends on the duration and dosage of the therapy.
"Hearing loss can have a profound impact on a person's life, especially in children who are critically dependent upon normal hearing for cognitive, psychosocial, and speech development," said Penelope "Peppy" R. Brock, M.D., Ph.D., of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and International Chair of the SIOPEL 6 trial. "Incorporating PEDMARK® into current treatment strategies with the goal to preserve hearing in children and young adults without reducing the effectiveness of their cisplatin treatment – is a welcome step towards helping to improve long-term outcomes for these patients."
Need help with your hearing?
A great way to start is with a free, 15-minute hearing screening performed by an audiologist. It’s easy to find out if you have hearing loss. So don’t guess. Find out.
If you have hearing loss, your audiologist will explain
- How much hearing you’ve lost
- Whether your hearing needs treating now or later
- The most effective treatment plan
