Chemotherapy and Hearing Loss: Why Hearing Monitoring Matters
Chemotherapy is an important treatment for many types of cancer, but some chemotherapy medications can have side effects that affect other parts of the body—including the ears.
Certain medications are considered ototoxic, meaning they have the potential to damage the delicate structures of the inner ear and affect hearing.
If you are undergoing chemotherapy, monitoring your hearing can help identify changes as early as possible.
Can Chemotherapy Cause Hearing Loss?
Yes, certain chemotherapy medications can affect hearing.
Ototoxic medications can potentially damage the tiny sensory hair cells within the inner ear. These hair cells play an important role in converting sound into signals that can be sent to the brain.
When these delicate structures are damaged, hearing loss may occur.
Not everyone who undergoes chemotherapy will experience hearing loss. The risk can depend on several factors, including the specific medications being used, dosage, duration of treatment, and individual health factors.
That’s why hearing monitoring can be an important part of care for individuals receiving potentially ototoxic medications.
What Is Ototoxicity?
Ototoxicity refers to damage to the ear caused by certain medications or chemical substances.
Some medications can affect the inner ear and potentially result in:
- Hearing loss
- Difficulty understanding speech
- Changes in hearing sensitivity
- Tinnitus, or ringing or buzzing in the ears
- Changes in how sounds are perceived
If you notice a change in your hearing or develop new tinnitus during chemotherapy, let your medical team and audiologist know.
Why Is a Baseline Hearing Test Important?
One of the most important steps in monitoring hearing during chemotherapy is establishing a baseline hearing evaluation before treatment begins.
A baseline hearing test tells your audiologist what your hearing looked like before you started potentially ototoxic medications.
This gives your audiologist something to compare against later.
Without a baseline, it can be more difficult to determine whether a change in hearing occurred during treatment or was already present beforehand.
Hearing Tests During Chemotherapy
For patients undergoing chemotherapy with potentially ototoxic medications, Dr. Shopovick recommends monitoring hearing throughout treatment (hearing evaluations and advanced testing).
A typical monitoring approach may include:
1. Before Chemotherapy
A comprehensive hearing evaluation is performed before treatment begins.
This establishes your baseline hearing levels.
2. During Chemotherapy
A follow-up hearing test may be performed during treatment to determine whether there have been any changes.
Monitoring during treatment can help identify changes sooner rather than waiting until chemotherapy is completed.
3. After Chemotherapy
Another hearing evaluation can be performed after treatment to compare hearing with the original baseline.
This allows your audiologist to determine whether measurable changes have occurred over the course of treatment.
The exact monitoring schedule can vary depending on the medications being used and the recommendations of your medical and oncology team.
What If Chemotherapy Causes Hearing Loss?
If hearing loss is identified, your audiologist can review the results with you and discuss your options.
Depending on the type and degree of hearing loss, treatment may include hearing aids or other amplification devices.
Modern hearing aids can be customized to an individual’s specific hearing loss and listening needs. Your audiologist can help determine whether hearing aids are appropriate and, if so, which features may be most beneficial.
Treatment doesn’t necessarily mean simply making everything louder. Proper hearing aid programming is designed to provide appropriate amplification while helping make speech and other important sounds more accessible.
Don’t Ignore Changes in Your Hearing
If you’re undergoing chemotherapy and notice that:
- People sound like they’re mumbling
- You have difficulty understanding speech
- Your television volume keeps increasing
- Conversations are becoming more difficult
- You notice new ringing or buzzing in your ears
- Sounds seem different than they did before treatment
let your healthcare team know.
A hearing evaluation with an audiologist can help determine whether your hearing has changed and provide a baseline for continued monitoring.
Hearing Care During Cancer Treatment
Cancer treatment can involve a lot of appointments, tests, and information. Hearing health may not always be at the top of the list—but for patients taking potentially ototoxic medications, it is worth paying attention to.
Establishing a baseline hearing test before chemotherapy and monitoring hearing during and after treatment can give you and your healthcare providers valuable information about changes in your hearing.
At Now Hear This® Audiology, our Raleigh audiologists provide comprehensive hearing evaluations and personalized hearing care for patients experiencing hearing changes, tinnitus, and hearing loss.
If you’re undergoing chemotherapy and have concerns about your hearing, we’re here to help.
📞 Call Now Hear This® Audiology at 919-256-2898 to discuss your hearing health or schedule a hearing evaluation.
Learn more about hearing loss and hearing evaluations at Now Hear This® Audiology
This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Not all chemotherapy medications cause hearing loss, and hearing monitoring recommendations vary based on the specific medication and treatment plan. Always discuss potential medication side effects with your oncology and healthcare team.
