Long term hearing degeneration after platinum-based chemotherapy in childhood

The aim of this study was to investigate long-term development of hearing in subjects who had received platinum-based chemotherapy in childhood or adolescence. Another aim was to assess the self-reported hearing loss handicap and compare it to audiometric measurements. Medical records from individuals diagnosed with childhood cancer and treated with platinum-based chemotherapy between 1985 and 2000 at the University Hospital in Lund Sweden were reviewed retrospectively. Fifteen subjects, who fulfilled the eligibility criteria set for the study, underwent a thorough audiometric evaluation. The results show that the hearing loss, in subjects with ototoxicity had increased after the end of treatment, to include also the lower frequencies. The largest deterioration in hearing thresholds, up to 55 dB HL, was found at frequencies above 2 kHz. The findings also reveal that the subjects have a considerably greater hearing loss handicap and disability than would be expected from the results of the audiometric evaluations. The conclusion of this study is that children and adolescence treated with platinum-based chemotherapy should have regular audiometric follow-up examinations, also many years after the end of treatment. Furthermore, assessments of self-reported hearing disability should be made during and after chemotherapy.