Acute sensorineural hearing loss after chemotherapy: a clinical case and an interdisciplinary approach to auditory rehabilitation

Objective: to present a clinical case of acute bilateral sensorineural hearing loss after chemotherapy and evaluate the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary hearing rehabilitation approach. Materials and methods. Clinical case analysis including otoscopy, pure-tone audiometry, tympanometry, treatment assessment, and hearing aid fitting. Results. Severe bilateral high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss was detected. Medical therapy showed limited benefit. Hearing aid fitting significantly improved speech perception and quality of life. Conclusion. Chemotherapy-induced ototoxicity is an important cause of hearing loss. Early diagnosis and interdisciplinary rehabilitation improve patient outcomes.

References

1. Rybak L.P., Ramkumar V. (2007) Ototoxicity. Kidney International., 72(8): 931–935. doi: 10.1038/sj.ki.5002434.
2. Lanvers-Kaminsky C., Zehnhoff-Dinnesen A.A., Parfitt R., Ciarimboli G. (2017) Drug-induced ototoxicity: mechanisms, pharmacogenetics, and protective strategies. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 101(4): 491–500. doi: 10.1002/cpt.603.
3. Brock P.R., Knight K.R., Freyer D.R. et al. (2012) Platinum-induced ototoxicity in children: a consensus review on mechanisms, predisposition, and protection. Cancer Treatment Reviews, 38(6): 659–670. doi: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2012.01.007.
4. Knight K.R., Kraemer D.F., Neuwelt E.A. (2005) Ototoxicity in children receiving platinum chemotherapy: underestimating a commonly occurring toxicity. Cancer, 104(2): 448–454. doi: 10.1002/cncr.21147.
5. Frisina R.D., Wheeler H.E., Fossa S.D. et al. (2016) Comprehensive audiometric analysis of hearing impairment and tinnitus after cisplatin-based chemotherapy in survivors of adult-onset cancer. J. Clin. Oncol., 34(23): 2712–2720. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2016.66.8822.
6. Waissbluth S., Daniel S.J. (2013) Cisplatin-induced ototoxicity: transporters playing a role in cisplatin toxicity. Hearing Res., 299: 37–45. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2013.02.006.
7. Campbell K.C.M., Le Prell C.G. (2018) Drug-induced ototoxicity: diagnosis and monitoring. Drug Saf., 41(5): 451–464. doi: 10.1007/s40264-017-0629-8.
8. Baguley D., McFerran D., Hall D. (2013) Tinnitus. The Lancet, 382(9904): 1600–1607. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60142-7.
9. World Health Organization (2021) World report on hearing. Geneva.
10. Dillon H. (2012) Hearing Aids. 2nd ed. New York: Thieme.
11. American Academy of Audiology (2009) Clinical Practice Guidelines: Ototoxicity Monitoring. Audiology Today.