How cancer treatment affects hearing in head and neck cancer patients

This study is investigating how radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatments for head and neck cancer affect hearing and the structures in the ear that allow us to hear. Researchers want to understand how cisplatin chemotherapy combined with radiation impacts hearing differently than radiation alone, so they can help doctors find better ways to protect patients' hearing during cancer treatment.

Many people treated for head and neck cancer experience hearing loss as a side effect of their treatment, but doctors don't yet have clear guidelines about which parts of the ear are most at risk or how to best protect hearing during therapy. This study aims to fill that gap by identifying exactly which ear structures are most vulnerable and which hearing tests are best at detecting early damage.