Chemotherapy and Hearing

Cancer seems to be everywhere.  It seems every person knows someone who has fought with cancer and survived.  Or, worse, we have known someone who has died of the dreadful disease.   There are many types of cancer, which makes treatment more complicated.  I didn’t realize it until today, but every month except December has a different awareness month.  May is brain cancer as well as melanoma and skin cancer awareness month.  May is Better Hearing and Speech month pales by comparison as far as the general public’s awareness.

The other new fact I learned today is that every cancer has a specific color assigned to it.  Most of us are aware of pink and breast cancer.  But, brain cancer’s color is grey.  That seems fitting.  There are bracelets and all kinds of jewelry one can purchase to support or raise awareness for a particular type of cancer.

Chemotherapy is the usual treatment for cancer.  There are “cocktails” or drug regimens that are used to treat different cancers.  The names of the treatments are short-hand for the drugs used.  For example, there is CHOP and RICE or ICE.  Each treatment has its own side effects on the body.  It is sobering to read the different side effects as a loved one is going through the treatments.  And, one can only pray that the side effects are minimal.  One side effect of many of the drugs is hearing loss and tinnitus. 

As an audiologist, I find it especially sobering to know that most patients do not have a hearing test prior to beginning treatment.  Most treatments last for months.  The treatments have a greater impact the longer they last.  Hearing loss can be gradual.  Tinnitus can begin sporadically and then become constant.  Hearing testing should be a part of the ongoing monitoring during the treatments.  Insurance companies usually will pay for hearing tests done as part of the monitoring during a treatment regimen. 

I have talked with oncologists about the lack of hearing testing prior to and during treatments.  One reply I have received was, “Most people are more concerned about the cancer than their hearing.”  Another was “I didn’t know where to send the patient.” 

The goal of chemotherapy is to “kill the cancer”.  Living past the cancer means communication with family and friends.  If the person has a hearing loss that can negatively impact their quality of life.