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Chemotherapy-Induced Hearing Loss and Health Inequality

NCT07553481 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 172

Last updated 2026-04-28

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This project aims to understand how platinum-based chemotherapy affects hearing function in cancer patients from different socioeconomic backgrounds in the North West of England. Platinum-based chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, are ototoxic, meaning that they cause permanent damage to the hair cells of the ear, resulting in hearing loss. Patients from more deprived backgrounds face additional risk factors to their hearing health, including limited healthcare access, greater occupational noise exposure, and poorer overall health, making them more vulnerable to hearing loss.

This is especially concerning as hearing loss can make communication more challenging, which creates a greater reliance on cognitive processes such as thinking and memory to navigate social interactions. This challenge is exacerbated when individuals experience cognitive dysfunction related to chemotherapy, commonly referred to as 'chemo brain'. Addressing these communication difficulties is crucial for promoting healthy ageing and maintaining social engagement. It is expected that cancer patients from the most deprived backgrounds would experience greater hearing loss following chemotherapy than those from less deprived backgrounds.

As a secondary aim, this study will also investigate how hearing loss may affect cognitive function. Specifically, it will assess whether differences in speech-in-noise performance from pre- to post-treatment predict cognitive performance post-treatment, to understand if changes in hearing over time are associated with changes in cognition. The study will also explore how socioeconomic deprivation, cumulative chemotherapy dose, and treatment duration influence these relationships. By identifying disparities in hearing loss and possible associations with cognition, this research will help guide future hearing screening and intervention strategies for cancer patients.

Conditions

  • Cancer
  • Chemo Brain
  • Chemotherapy
  • Hearing

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

    collaborator OTHER

  • Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    collaborator OTHER

  • University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust

    collaborator OTHER

  • Lancaster University

    lead OTHER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-05-02
Primary Completion
2028-09-01
Completion
2028-09-01

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07553481 on ClinicalTrials.gov