Provider Documentation of Tinnitus in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Tinnitus is a known complication of treatment for childhood cancer and potentially reduces the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors (CCS). Although current guidelines recommend annual surveillance in CCS at risk for tinnitus, current screening practices among pediatric oncology survivorship providers are unknown. The authors performed a retrospective cohort study to assess the adequacy of current tinnitus screening in survivorship care. The 5.6% prevalence of tinnitus reported by the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Study, the largest ongoing follow-up cohort of CCS, served as the baseline for comparison for our rate of documented positive screening for tinnitus. Survivorship providers identified tinnitus in 3 of 624 (0.48%) eligible CCS, which was significantly lower than the prevalence in the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Study (P<0.0001). Survivorship providers documented any screening for tinnitus (positive or negative) in 15 of 624 (2.4%) CCS. Screening practices significantly differed by ototoxic exposure history and age at follow-up. This study demonstrates that screening and detection of tinnitus are underdocumented by survivorship providers, raising concern for inadequate screening practices. Improved screening may facilitate the recognition and treatment of this late effect, improving the quality of life for CCS.