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Sensorineural hearing loss in patients with head and neck cancer after chemoradiotherapy and radiotherapy: A systematic review of the literature
Author(s) -
Theunissen Eleonoor A. R.,
Bosma Sophie C. J.,
Zuur Charlotte L.,
Spijker René,
Baan Sieberen,
Dreschler Wouter A.,
Boer Jan Paul,
Balm Alfons J. M.,
Rasch Coen R. N.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.23551
Subject(s) - medicine , ototoxicity , sensorineural hearing loss , radiation therapy , head and neck cancer , chemoradiotherapy , incidence (geometry) , audiology , hearing loss , oncology , cisplatin , radiology , surgery , chemotherapy , physics , optics
ABSTRACT Background Both radiotherapy (RT) and cisplatin‐based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with head and neck cancer may cause sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The purpose of this review was to provide more insight into SNHL because of CRT compared to RT. Methods Comprehensive search of Medline and Embase with the terms “radiotherapy” combined with “ototoxicity,” “head and neck squamous cell carcinoma,” and synonyms. Results Of the 2507 studies found, 21 were included in this study. Pooled analysis could not be committed because of heterogeneity. Incidence rates of SNHL after RT and CRT varied considerably, with percentages ranging from 0% to 43% and 17% to 88%, respectively. Factors that influenced the risk of SNHL were radiation dose to the cochlea, follow‐up time, age, baseline hearing level, and cisplatin dose. Conclusion The wide range of SNHL incidence rates makes it impossible to draw any conclusions on the severity of RT‐ and CRT‐induced ototoxicity. To allow for future comparison of study outcomes, development of uniform criteria is of utmost importance. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37 : 281‐292, 2015