title: Is routine audiometric evaluation necessary in gynaecologic tumour patients undergoing chemotherapy?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our objective was to assess the auditory function of gynaecological tumour patients who had received cytotoxic agents and to determine their associated risk of ototoxicity.
  
  
  METHODS
  87 patients who had undergone chemotherapy for gynaecological malignancies were investigated. Of these patients, 79% had breast cancer, and 14% ovarian cancer. All of the patients had a subjective assessment of their hearing function on a visual analogue scale. Audiometric tests were performed before and at 9 weeks, 18 weeks and 3 months after completion of chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age of the patients ranged from 32 to 71 years (mean age of 53.5 ± 10.5 years). The average subjective rating of the patients' hearing function was 83.0 ± 17.2 before and 84.8 ± 16.9 3 months after completion of chemotherapy. No significant audiometric change at either the speech hearing frequency range (0.5-2 KHz) or high frequencies was observed in the patients after chemotherapy. There was also no significant difference in the hearing threshold of the patients who had received platinum analogue-based chemotherapy compared to non-platinum analogue-based chemotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hearing loss is uncommon in patients treated with the typical gynaecological chemotherapy protocols. Hence, routine audiometric testing in these patients is not necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany ; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, Germany.
authors.forename: Ayotunde J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fasunla
authors.affiliation: Breast Centre, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harbeck
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Women's Hospital Rechts der Isar, Germany.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmalfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Women's Hospital Rechts der Isar, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berktold
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Women's Hospital Rechts der Isar, Germany.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Böhner
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hundt
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Hospital Rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steinbach
keywords: Breast cancer; Chemotherapy; Hearing function; Ovarian cancer