Hearing after cisplatin

One fairly common consequence of platinum-based chemotherapy in children is loss of hearing, which occurs in up to 70% of pediatric patients who receive high doses of cisplatin. For many of them, the cause might be genetic, according to a study from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital that found variants in the gene encoding the muscle enzyme ACYP2 were associated with drug-induced hearing loss.

The most immediate benefit could be in helping companies select patients for trials of new compounds aimed at preventing chemotherapy-induced hearing loss. Longer term, the discovery could help guide treatment decisions for pediatric oncologists...