Certain cancer treatments can have long-term effects on hearing. Our study therefore explored how well affected individuals are informed about this risk. Such knowledge is important because hearing problems can often be treated or managed successfully when detected early. Good information helps affected individuals take timely action, reduce challenges and maintain their quality of life.
Lay Summary of Philippa Jörger’s Study
What did we want to find out with our study?
Some chemotherapies and radiation treatments to the head can affect hearing. We wanted to find out: Do people who have received such treatments know about this risk?
Why is this important?
Hearing loss is a manageable late effect if detected early, for example through using hearing aids. If survivors know about this risk, they can get their hearing checked regularly and catch any problems early. Raising awareness is important to enable survivors to maintain their hearing health.
What did we exactly do?
We contacted adult survivors who had undergone treatments known to affect the hearing. This included chemotherapy with platinum and radiation to the head. We asked them to fill out a survey about their awareness of hearing risks.
What did we find out and what does this mean?
Many participants did not remember being informed about the risk of hearing loss. Participants who were treated more recently, after 1995, were much better informed about the possible effects of the therapy on their hearing. Almost half of the participants actually showed treatment-related hearing loss in the hearing test.
Many former patients are unaware that their cancer treatment can affect their hearing – even though almost one in two people in our study were affected. The good news is that those who were treated more recently were much better informed – a sign of progress in follow-up care. It is important that all those affected, especially those who have finished treatment longer ago, know about possible hearing problems. After all, those who are informed can act early. Regular hearing tests as part of follow-up care are the key here.
Further information:
Reference: Jörger P, Nigg C, Žarković M, Sommer G, Kompis M, Michel G, Ansari M, Waespe N, Kuehni CE. Awareness about the risk of hearing loss after ototoxic treatments in Swiss childhood cancer survivors. Patient Educ Couns. 2025 Mar 27;136:108764. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2025.108764. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40179545.
You can find the full article in English here.
Contact:
Philippa Jörger (philippa.joerger@unibe.ch)
Claudia Kuehni (claudia.kuehni@unibe.ch)
Here you can download the lay summary: