Incidence of ototoxicity in patients receiving cytotoxic medication

ABSTRACT

This study was done with the objective to evaluate the efficacy of otoacoustic emission in early detection of cochlear lesion due to ototoxic drugs. A total of thirty five patient twenty of them were receiving cisplatin and fifteen were receiving vincristine. They were receiving the therapy at the Oncology unit, Assiut university hospital. All study patients were submitted to complete audiological evaluation including pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry, Immittancemetry test and otoacoustic emissions [OAE] including, Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions. This evaluation was done before drug therapy and after each subsequent course of therapy. Comparisons were made between basic pre-therapy evaluation and the serial follow up for three mouths [by audiometry and otoacoustic emission test]. After therapy, significant evaluation of pure tone thresholds were demonstrated in high frequencies [4-8 KHZ] in 67% of patients receiving cisplatin and 13.3% in patients receiving vincristine therapy. There were a significant decrease in OAE amplitude specially at high frequency band; 3-4 KHZ in both groups even in patients with no changes in their audiometric thresholds. In conclusion vincristine and cisplatin therapy could produce Ototoxicity due to cochlear lesion and TEOAEs were more a sensitive than audiometric test in early detection of cochlear Ototoxicity and could be used for its monitoring