Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Trans-Tympanic Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Ototoxicity
Published on: March 16, 2018
A child with severe hearing loss associated with maternal cisplatin treatment during pregnancy
Eric C T Geijteman1, Celesta W M Wensveen, Johannes J Duvekot
1Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Background:
Cisplatin is considered safe to use during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy in patients with cancer.
Case:
A 34-year-old pregnant woman was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She received five weekly dosages of cisplatin and paclitaxel, starting at 26 5/7 weeks of gestation. An elective cesarean delivery was performed at 34 4/7 weeks of gestation. After birth, the neonate was diagnosed with severe bilateral perceptive hearing loss.
Conclusion:
Cisplatin during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy may lead to fetal ototoxicity.
