Prevalence and impact on QoL from ototoxicity in cancer survivors
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identifying the prevalence, severity and the impact on quality of life of long-term ototoxicity in cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study
IRAS ID
246726
Contact name
Stephanie Pearson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
0000, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
There has been a substantial increase in cancer survival rates in the the past decades, however many cancer survivors are now impacted by the multitude of toxicities associated with treatment. It is only when temporary toxicities subside that the long-term toxicities progress and become important. Chemotherapy, although highly effective, is known to cause ototoxicity, presenting as hearing loss and tinnitus. Hearing loss and tinnitus are associated with a higher risk of depression, dementia, social isolation and anxiety.
There is little information and support offered to patients who suffer from ototoxicity, which can potentially lead to many being undiagnosed and untreated. Ototoxicity can be permanent and progressive, therefore it is essential that a deeper understanding and increased awareness of how hearing loss and tinnitus affects the quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors can improve long-term symptoms management and support offered.
This project aims to identify the prevalence and severity of long-term ototoxicity in cancer survivors following platinum-based treatment. Prevalence of ototoxicity can be unreliable and varies in the medical literature, with studies reporting rates between 24% and 79%.
Information on prevalence will be achieved by recruiting patients from oncology clinics and performing a high frequency audiogram. The results from the audiogram will be compared to an normative dataset in addition to detecting self-reported hearing loss from the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults (HHIA) and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Elderly (HHIE) questionnaires. Furthermore, the severity and prevalence of tinnitus will also be detected by using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire. A validated questionnaire assessing QoL (SF-36) after cancer will also be completed by the patients. The questionnaires will be statistically analysed and compared against a dataset from the general population in the hope to identify the concerns surrounding long-term ototoxicity in cancer survivors.REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
19/NI/0165
Date of REC Opinion
21 Aug 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion