A new study conducted on cancer survivors (who had cancer about five years ago) reveals the possibility of medical conditions like hearing loss. The more susceptible people are those who were subjected to different types of chemo drugs.
In other words, those who were subjected to chemotherapy as part of the cancer treatment need to get a hearing test done as part of a routine check-up, even after recovery.
“While hearing loss associated with the administration of platinum drugs was reported in adults with testicular and head and neck cancer, our study is the first to demonstrate that hearing loss and tinnitus are highly prevalent problems in survivors of the four most common types of cancer,” informs Dr. Steven Cheung, first author, and a professor of head and neck surgery (otolaryngology) at the USCF, the university of California, San Fransisco.
This study assumes enormous significance to the medical world in that it focused on more than 270 cancer patients subjected to platinum and taxanes categories of chemo drugs. The study is proof enough to assume that hearing loss is likely among those who use these chemo drugs in cancer treatment. These two chemo drugs are the most commonly used in cancer treatment. The possibility of such medical conditions in survivors is a cause of worry for clinicians currently involved in cancer treatment.
The study was made available on 27th July 2022 in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. The research included 273 cancer survivors who are around age 60. They suffered gastrointestinal, gynecologic, lung, and breast cancers around five years ago.
More than half of the participants reported significant hearing loss. So maybe this study will highlight the need for regular hearing check-ups post-cancer treatment.