Here Is A New Way To Prevent Hearing Loss

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Researchers have developed a new magnetic delivery method that may prevent by 50 percent the hearing loss caused as a result of treatment by a widely used chemotherapy drug.

Cisplatin is commonly used to treat childhood cancers but can lead to permanent or severe high frequency hearing loss in nine out of 10 children following treatment.

Steroids can reduce cisplatin-induced hearing loss but they may also reduce the effectiveness of cisplatin's ability to kill cancer cells.

This means they need to be directly delivered to the cochlea to be effective and to avoid this side-effect.

In the study, the researchers used magnetic fields to push drug-covered iron nanoparticles into the cochlea or the inner ear and reduced hearing loss in mice treated with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin by 50 per cent.

"It is great news that progress is being made towards finding new ways to protect children's hearing following cancer treatment with cisplatin which causes the sensory hair cells in the cochlea that detect sound to die and can leave cancer survivors who have already gone through a traumatic experience depressed and isolated," said Ralph Holme, Director of Research at Action on Hearing Loss - a UK-based charity.

The study was published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.