What Doctors Don't Tell YouThe truth is, platinum agents like carboplatin and cisplatin cause irreversible damage to the inner ear cilia (tiny hairs) that pick up sound waves.
In the study, 61 per cent of 67 cancer patients experienced hearing loss, with the average onset beginning 135 days after chemotherapy.
The scientists also found that the classification system used for reporting toxicity in such patients – the National Cancer Institute’s Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events – minimises the significance of high-frequency hearing loss. As a result, doctors often miscalculate the level of ototoxicity in children undergoing chemotherapy (J Clin Oncol, 2005; 23: 8588-96).
Daniel Redwood DC
Tom Ferguson MD
