Health
Chemotherapy drug could have a serious and surprising side effect, study finds
A chemotherapy drug could cause “significant” hearing loss among cancer survivors, according to a study from the University of South Florida and Indiana University.
Researchers tracked 100 testicular cancer survivors who received a chemo drug called cisplatin for an average of 14 years, as a press release from USF noted.
Among the participants, who averaged 48 years of age, 78% of them reported experiencing “significant difficulties in everyday listening situations.”
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This was reportedly the first study to assess potential hearing loss among cancer survivors.
“Patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy are at high risk for permanent hearing loss, and for some, that hearing loss will progress years after chemo treatment,” lead author Victoria Sanchez, associate professor in the USF Health Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, told Fox News Digital in an email.
A chemotherapy drug could cause “significant” hearing loss among cancer survivors, according to a study. (iStock)
“This hearing loss affects how people hear in everyday life, like a noisy restaurant or other social gatherings.”
Cisplatin is a type of chemotherapy drug that contains the metal platinum, according to the National Cancer Institute’s website.
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The IV-administered drug is approved to treat bladder cancer, ovarian cancer and testicular cancer, the NCI states, either alone or in combination with other medications.
Higher doses of cisplatin were linked to more severe cases of hearing loss, the researchers found.
Cisplatin is a type of chemotherapy drug that contains the metal platinum, according to the National Cancer Institute’s website. (iStock)
Those at highest risk included patients with poor heart health or high blood pressure.
“It was surprising to see that cardiovascular conditions are related to increased hearing loss and progression of hearing loss, which speaks to the need for patients to consider healthy lifestyle choices to help protect their ears,” Sanchez said.
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The ears are especially vulnerable to the drug because they cannot filter it out, according to the USF researchers.
“This leads to inflammation and the destruction of sensory cells that are critical for coding sound, causing permanent hearing loss that can progressively get worse well after cisplatin treatments are completed,” the release stated.
Researchers tracked 100 testicular cancer survivors who received a chemo drug called cisplatin for an average of 14 years. (iStock)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved cisplatin for testicular cancer treatment in 1978, according to the NIH.
Packaging labels for the drug warn of the potential for ototoxicity, which involves damage to the inner ear as a side effect of medication.
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“Hearing loss can be unilateral or bilateral and tends to become more frequent and severe with repeated doses,” the packaging stated.
“Decreased ability to hear normal conversational tones may occur.”
It is unclear whether the drug-induced ototoxicity is reversible, according to the packaging.
“If a hearing loss is identified, treatment and help for hearing loss is available,” the lead study author said. “Health care providers can talk to patients about their risk of hearing loss and a plan for survivorship.” (iStock)
Based on the findings, the researcher recommends that cancer patients talk to their health care providers about possible hearing loss as a side effect of treatment and to receive hearing evaluations while receiving chemotherapy.
“Check your hearing if you have any concerns,” Sanchez advised.
“If hearing loss is identified, treatment and help for hearing loss is available. Health care providers can talk to patients about their risk of hearing loss and a plan for survivorship.”
The ears are especially vulnerable to the drug because they cannot filter it out, according to the USF researchers. (iStock)
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, noted that cisplatin is a “highly effective treatment” for testicular cancer, improving the cure rate from 10% to 90% when used in combination with other drugs.
“[The drug has a] very high degree of side effects, [including] hearing loss, which is very well-known, in up to 80% of patients,” Siegel, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital via email.
A cost-benefit analysis should be performed for all treatments, the doctor advised.
“High doses of chemotherapy (especially ones that are platinum-based) and radiation to the head, ear or brain can cause damage and hearing problems in one or both ears,” the ACS stated. (iStock)
“Since this is a potentially deadly cancer, the benefits are generally worth the side effects, until newer, less toxic and equally effective treatments are developed,” Siegel said.
The main limitation of the study, according to Sanchez, is that all of the patients were very similar — males treated for testicular cancer.
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“We need to conduct additional studies to understand women treated with cisplatin and for other types of cancers,” she said.
The goal is that the research will lead to alternatives in chemotherapy treatment plans and preventative medications to reduce the risk of hearing loss, according to USF.
“Hearing loss related to cancer treatment is often permanent (doesn’t go away), but a hearing aid might help.”
The American Cancer Society warns on its website of the potential for chemotherapy drugs to impact hearing.
“High doses of chemotherapy (especially ones that are platinum-based) and radiation to the head, ear or brain can cause damage and hearing problems in one or both ears,” the ACS stated.
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“Hearing loss related to cancer treatment is often permanent (doesn’t go away), but a hearing aid might help.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the FDA, the ACS and several manufacturers of branded cisplatin medications requesting comment.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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