Hearing Characteristics of Adults before Exposure to Potentially Ototoxic Chemotherapy

Cancer patients undergoing potentially-ototoxic chemotherapy may present a series of hearing disorders and risk factors prior to treatment. Thus, it is necessary to know the profile of these patients to promote preventive actions and guidelines regarding the hearing health of these individuals.

To describe and relate the hearing characteristics of patients entering a chemotherapy service before the exposure to potentially-ototoxic drugs.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 261 individuals who started chemotherapy between April and December 2022. All patients filled out a hearing case history and underwent otoscopy. Individuals who had a non-altered otoscopy due to obstructive cerumen underwent distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 kHz in both ears.

In total, 83% of the patients reported good hearing and 31% described some level of hearing impairment. The most prevalent self-reported hearing issue was tinnitus (35%). Only 12% had a medical diagnosis of hearing loss, and 20% had obstructive cerumen during otoscopy. Individuals who reported hearing impairments such as reduced hearing and difficulty understanding noises demonstrated fewer responses in the DPOAEs at various frequencies. In addition, there were significant differences in DPOAE amplitudes among different age groups. Given the substantial burden of hearing loss with ageing, attention to this population is essential for the possibility of preventing or delaying hearing loss.

Cancer patients entering a chemotherapy service have a hearing case history of risk factors and hearing alterations prior to exposure to potentially-ototoxic drugs.