Yesterday I found this report of a study of 200 patients, mostly women, who took platinum or taxane chemo and had significant hearing loss following treatment.
If this is true and men are similarly impacted, it could be very important. I have had hearing loss for many years but it took a plunge in the 6 months following my chemo with Carboplatin and Etoposide. My audiologist was alarmed enough to order an MRI to rule out acoustic neuroma.
I have repeatedly asked whether the chemo could have played a role in my accelerating hearing impairment. This is the first article I found supporting the concept.
I have much bigger issues going on which I will report out once we have some answers but this one was a new one for me.
Written by
DenDoc
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Gosh. Thank you for flagging. First time I have heard about this. I had 3 x Docetaxel earlier this year but not noticed a hearing change but important to be aware.
I’m not aware of any association between taxane treatments and hearing loss.
I am aware of the potential for hearing loss when on cisplatin/carboplatin in conjunction with other chemo drugs. I don’t know if it’s just the “platin” drugs or the combination. When my sister was being treated for NSCLC last year she was given hearing tests repeatedly during the chemo treatments.
My wife had platinum/taxane treatment for ovarian cancer and had her hearing evaluated prior to treatment. Post treatment there was some loss in higher and mid range levels due likely to treatment. Nothing that could be done since the treatment was a necessary part of the protocol. She does not hear the beeper from the oven timer among common items in our environment. Another side effect she lives with.
I had carbo + taxo 6x several years ago and experienced tinnitus, only noticeable in a very quiet room. It seemed to go away, but would notice it on occasion. I had taxo only 3x a few months ago and have experienced some tinnitus again, noticeable in a quiet room. I might have very mild hearing loss, for years I have a hard time distinguishing mumbled words in a noisy environment, like a dance club. That seems normal to me. I'm careful about exposure and use earplugs with power tools. I would say chemo caused the tinnitus but hearing tests are not something I feel is necessary for me.
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