Inner ear impairment following combined CDDP (platinum preparation) and radiation therapy

Hearing ability was examined in patients with head and neck cancer treated by combined CDDP and electron beam therapy. In 3 of 7 patients with maxillary cancer, hearing impairment apparently attributable to the therapy was noted on the affected side. In one of these 3 patients, the temporal bone was observed, but the cause of hearing impairment could not be determined. We present patients with cancer of the external ear in whom radiation-caused hearing impairment worsened probably due to combined CDDP and electron beam therapy.