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Effect of radiotherapy on retro-cochlear auditory pathways.
1Department of Otolaryngology, Singapore General Hospital. gollwk@sgh.com.sg
The Laryngoscope
|October 14, 2005
Summary
Radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma preserves retro-cochlear auditory pathways. This study found no significant impact on auditory pathway function after radiation treatment, even long-term.
Area of Science:
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Radiation Oncology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck cancers can damage the cochlea.
- The effect of RT on retro-cochlear auditory pathways is not well understood.
- This is clinically significant for cochlear implantation in patients treated for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional integrity of retro-cochlear auditory pathways.
- To assess the impact of RT for nasopharyngeal carcinoma on these pathways.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 27 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with RT alone.
- Evoked response audiometry and pure-tone audiometry (PTA) performed before, during, and up to 48 months post-RT.
- Analysis of radiation doses to the cochlea and internal auditory meatus.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences in auditory pathway latencies (waves 1-5, 1-3, 3-5) were observed during or after RT compared to pre-RT.
- Even in ears with post-RT hearing loss, interwave latencies remained statistically non-significant.
- Radiation doses to the cochlea and internal auditory meatus were quantified.
Conclusions:
- Retro-cochlear auditory pathways appear functionally intact long-term in patients treated with RT for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
- This suggests RT may not significantly impair neural auditory function beyond the cochlea.
