Cancer survivors treated with platinum-based chemotherapy affected by ototoxicity and the impact on quality of life: a narrative synthesis systematic review

Objective: To identify any change in quality of life (QoL) caused by chemotherapy-induced toxicities, such as hearing loss and tinnitus, to provide information in order to improve services and aid clinicians in their decision-making. Design: This systematic review followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) checklist. The search terms were cancer, platinum-based chemotherapy, ototoxicity and quality of life. Titles and abstracts, followed by full texts, were screened by two independent researchers. The relevant data were extracted and quality analysis was performed using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool. Study sample: About 308 titles and abstracts were screened, and 27 full-text articles were screened. Ten articles representing 11 studies were included in the review. Study design included cross-sectional studies, randomised control trials and longitudinal studies. Results: Diagnostic criteria consisted of audiograms, questionnaires and patient complaints. The study quality ranged from 21.43% to 85.71%. Overall results found that those treated with cisplatin had more hearing loss and tinnitus than those treated with other therapies. Furthermore, those with hearing loss and tinnitus were more likely to have a lower QoL. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to standardise diagnostics when investigating ototoxicity and its effect on QoL, particularly for research into risk factors, prevention and management.