Children being made deaf by cancer treatment

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" Zeus " <info

Children being made deaf by cancer treatment

Sat, 15 Oct 2005 13:14:17 +0100

 

 

 

 

Children being made deaf by cancer treatment

By Celia Hall, Medical Editor

(Filed: 10/10/2005)

 

Several hundred babies and children are made profoundly deaf every

year by the drugs given to them to cure their cancers and save their

lives, a leading charity says today.

 

While treating the cancer remains the priority, the damage to hearing,

which affects adults as well, has only recently been understood.

 

John and Farideh Khodayeki with their son Anthony

Treatment cured Anthony Khodayeki's cancer but caused profound hearing

loss in both ears

 

Now the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) is appealing to

pharmaceutical companies to develop less toxic versions of drugs or

others that protect the hearing without diminishing the effect of the

chemotherapy.

 

The drugs that cause the damage are the platinum- based chemotherapy

treatments, usually cisplatin, an effective cancer drug developed in

the 1970s.

 

The RNID says that more than 500 children are treated every year in

Britain with cisplatin or similar drugs. They say that at least a

quarter of children sustain " easily observable " hearing loss and or

tinnitus or balance problems. Some research suggests that all treated

children will develop profound hearing problems over time.

 

Cisplatin is used in a third of childhood cancers and substantially

adds to the burden of hearing loss in children in this country, the

RNID said. Each year, about 800 children will be born with profound

deafness. For adults, the picture is less clear, mostly because

" before and after " research on hearing loss has not been conducted.

 

Every year, 68,000 people are treated with cisplatin but hearing loss

is not routinely monitored. Even so the risk to adults is put at

between 11 and 91 per cent.

 

Scientists know that cisplatin damages or destroys the sensitive hair

cells in the inner ear that relay information to the auditory nerve.

They have also discovered that the damage accumulates with each dose

given.

 

Dr Penelope Brock, a child cancer specialist at Great Ormond Street

Hospital, London, and a world expert on hearing damage problems, said:

" The cure rate for childhood cancer has improved considerably over

past decades and now exceeds 70 per cent.

 

" Cisplatin will continue to be a major contributor. However, this cure

is not without cost to the child. Permanent side-effects are the most

damaging and hearing loss is one which affects everyday life and

development.

 

" Children who survive cancer are determined to make the most of the

life they have been given but struggle to compete in an increasingly

competitive world. Preventing hearing loss would transform their lives

and futures. "

 

Munna Vio, the RNID commercial research manager, said thousands of

cancer survivors were left with unnecessary hearing damage.

 

" RNID research indicates that if a suitable drug was approved that

effectively protected against hearing loss but did not interfere with

chemotherapy, cancer specialists would use it across the board for all

cancers treated with cisplatin. The pharmaceutical industry should

seize this opportunity to deliver vital drugs. "

 

chall

 

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[Guest guest]

, " califpacific "

<califpacific@g...> wrote:

>

Hello,

At wwww.lef.org , " hearing loss " , I read interesting info about

supplements helping against hearing loss. About cisplatin there is

writtten that L-methionine helps to get platinum out of the body.

somewhere I read in case of heraing loss bij platinum -chemo, natrium

thiosulfate could help (not sure if I read this at the same website).

My father uses selenium, n-acetyl-cysteîne to get out the platinum

after chemo. Up to now his ears are okay. Somewhere else I read alpha

lipoïc acid specific helps to get cisplatin out of the brain; Our

body makes n-acetyl cysteîne out from l-methionine, so one of both

would be okay,

Bye,

Elly

 

 

> " Zeus " <info@z...>

> Children being made deaf by cancer treatment

> Sat, 15 Oct 2005 13:14:17 +0100

>

>

>

>

> Children being made deaf by cancer treatment

> By Celia Hall, Medical Editor

> (Filed: 10/10/2005)

>

> Several hundred babies and children are made profoundly deaf every

> year by the drugs given to them to cure their cancers and save their

> lives, a leading charity says today.

>

> While treating the cancer remains the priority, the damage to

hearing,

> which affects adults as well, has only recently been understood.

>

> John and Farideh Khodayeki with their son Anthony

> Treatment cured Anthony Khodayeki's cancer but caused profound

hearing

> loss in both ears

>

> Now the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) is appealing to

> pharmaceutical companies to develop less toxic versions of drugs or

> others that protect the hearing without diminishing the effect of

the

> chemotherapy.

>

> The drugs that cause the damage are the platinum- based chemotherapy

> treatments, usually cisplatin, an effective cancer drug developed in

> the 1970s.

>

> The RNID says that more than 500 children are treated every year in

> Britain with cisplatin or similar drugs. They say that at least a

> quarter of children sustain " easily observable " hearing loss and or

> tinnitus or balance problems. Some research suggests that all

treated

> children will develop profound hearing problems over time.

>

> Cisplatin is used in a third of childhood cancers and substantially

> adds to the burden of hearing loss in children in this country, the

> RNID said. Each year, about 800 children will be born with profound

> deafness. For adults, the picture is less clear, mostly because

> " before and after " research on hearing loss has not been conducted.

>

> Every year, 68,000 people are treated with cisplatin but hearing

loss

> is not routinely monitored. Even so the risk to adults is put at

> between 11 and 91 per cent.

>

> Scientists know that cisplatin damages or destroys the sensitive

hair

> cells in the inner ear that relay information to the auditory nerve.

> They have also discovered that the damage accumulates with each dose

> given.

>

> Dr Penelope Brock, a child cancer specialist at Great Ormond Street

> Hospital, London, and a world expert on hearing damage problems,

said:

> " The cure rate for childhood cancer has improved considerably over

> past decades and now exceeds 70 per cent.

>

> " Cisplatin will continue to be a major contributor. However, this

cure

> is not without cost to the child. Permanent side-effects are the

most

> damaging and hearing loss is one which affects everyday life and

> development.

>

> " Children who survive cancer are determined to make the most of the

> life they have been given but struggle to compete in an increasingly

> competitive world. Preventing hearing loss would transform their

lives

> and futures. "

>

> Munna Vio, the RNID commercial research manager, said thousands of

> cancer survivors were left with unnecessary hearing damage.

>

> " RNID research indicates that if a suitable drug was approved that

> effectively protected against hearing loss but did not interfere

with

> chemotherapy, cancer specialists would use it across the board for

all

> cancers treated with cisplatin. The pharmaceutical industry should

> seize this opportunity to deliver vital drugs. "

>

> chall@t...

>

> forwarded by

> Zeus Information Service

> Alternative Views on Health

> www.zeusinfoservice.com

>