The Role of Audiometry prior to High-Dose Cisplatin in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.

The Role of Audiometry prior to High-Dose Cisplatin in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.

Oncology. 2017 May 17;:

Authors: Caballero M, Mackers P, Reig O, Buxo E, Navarrete P, Blanch JL, Grau JJ

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To analyze the role of audiometry in considering change to a less ototoxic treatment in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients.
METHODS: Consecutive patients prescribed high-dose cisplatin (100 mg/m2) between January 2013 and February 2015 were enrolled. Audiometry was performed at baseline and before cisplatin. Change to a less ototoxic agent or reduced cisplatin dose was considered with audiometric decreases >25 dB.
RESULTS: A total of 103 patients were included; the median age of the patients was 59 years (range 18-75). Cisplatin was intended curative (58%), adjuvant (32%), or palliative (10%). Forty-two participants (41%) did not commence high-dose cisplatin because of baseline audiometric alterations. Of 61 patients treated with high-dose cisplatin, 40 (66%) showed marked ototoxicity at the end of treatment. The mean hearing loss between initial and final audiometries showed a hearing loss at 4 and 8 kHz in both ears (p = 0.002). Thirteen patients switched to carboplatin and 15 to a lower dose of cisplatin. The outcome was not significantly altered when cisplatin was replaced with carboplatin or cetuximab.
CONCLUSIONS: Audiometric alterations are common in HNC with high-dose cisplatin, and switching to a less ototoxic regimen does not adversely affect outcome. Audiometric examination could help to prevent hearing loss in this population.

PMID: 28511189 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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