Incidence of platinum-induced ototoxicity in pediatric patients in Quebec

Background: The antineoplastic agents cisplatin and carboplatin are widely-used and highly-effective against a variety of pediatric cancers. Unfortunately, ototoxicity is a frequently encountered side effect of platinum-based chemotherapy. There is currently no treatment or prevention for platinum-induced ototoxicity and development of hearing loss may lead to devastating consequences on the quality of life of pediatric cancer survivors. The objective of this study is to determine the incidence of platinum-induced ototoxicity in a large series of pediatric patients and to evaluate the incidence of progression of ototoxicity after completion of treatment. Procedures: A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients treated with cisplatin or carboplatin between 2000 and 2012 was conducted. The incidence of ototoxicity was determined based on the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) criteria and severity was based on the Chang classification. Results: Four hundred and sixty-six patients received platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were excluded due to congenital hearing loss (n=1) and insufficient data for calculating the platinum dose (n=24) or for assessing ototoxicity (n=135). Three hundred and six patients were included in the analysis. Post-chemotherapy ototoxicity was detected in 148 (48%) patients, and clinically-significant ototoxicity was present in 91 (30%). In addition, based on the ASHA criteria, 48% of patients (97/204) with long-term follow-up had further deterioration of their hearing after completion of treatment. Conclusions: Ototoxicity following chemotherapy with cisplatin or carboplatin is common and can frequently progress after the completion of treatment. Long-term follow-up is strongly recommended.