The hope is that this study will inspire further investigation into alternative chemotherapeutic protocols and preventive measures, such as FDA-approved drugs to prevent or reduce hearing loss. Researchers from Indiana University and the University of South Florida performed an interdisciplinary study that produced important results regarding the long-term consequences on cancer survivors of one of the most widely used kinds of chemotherapy. The study, which tracked a cohort of testicular cancer survivors who received cisplatin-based chemotherapy for an average of 14 years, was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Oncology.
It found that 78 per cent of the survivors have significant difficulties in everyday listening situations, which negatively affects their quality of life. This interdisciplinary study is the first to examine hearing loss progression and real-world listening problems in cancer survivors over an extended length of time. "It's important that we understand the real-world effects of patients' sensory problems and if we can understand that, then we can develop better therapeutic strategies and preventive measures to improve the long-term quality of life for cancer survivors," said Robert Frisina, distinguished university professor and chair of the USF Department of Medical Engineering.
Cisplatin is commonly used in chemotherapy treatments for a variety of cancers, including bladder, lung, neck and testicular. It is administered intravenou.
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