Ear ringing from cisplatin

Please ensure he lets the oncologist know asap about ringing. Adjustments to chemo or scheduling need to be considered.

Cisplatin can cause ringing in the ear and hearing loss, but it can resolve with time. I agree with the others who have written that it's vitally important to report every symptom to the cancer team. Like your dad, I had the ear-ringing and it didn't get better after the medical oncologist switched from Cisplatin to Carboplatin & Taxotere. A few months after my treatment ended, I found a solution quite by accident and now my ears feel completely normal again.

I was initially told I'd get Cisplatin (40 mg. once per week) for six weeks, and advised the minimum dose should be 200 mg. Around week 4, I noticed intermittent ringing in my ear that sometimes was more of a hissing sound. It alternated between ears. I told my medical oncologist and he decided to switch me to Carboplatin & Taxotere for the remaining weeks 5 and 6. A few days after week 5, I started feeling sick. By Monday morning I had a fever when I went in for blood work before my next chemo. I had become neutrapenic and was admitted to the hospital for a few days. Unfortunatey, I had to miss one radiation treatment which was scary. They said since I had already had 200 mg. of chemo already, I would be spared a 6th treatment. The ringing in my ear continued weeks after treatment ended. My left ear felt full, uncomfortable, and I could hear nothing out of it. We saw an audiologist, who said I had accumulated fluid (probably in part because I had radiation on my upper jaw, which extended close to my ear). Luckily, once we were back in our home state, I had a short bout with a swelling in a foot that turned out to be gout and my primary care doc prescribed a short-course of prednisone. It completely took care of the hearing loss and the ringing! 

It's a good idea to get a hearing test before you start treatment to get a baseline (I didn't) and then follow-up later. Let your treatment team know every symptom. Don't wait. 

Hello and let me start by saying I am sorry you have to be here but it is hands down one the best sources for real information. The most important thing I can recommend to anyone who is going to do Cisplatin is demand a hearing test prior to your first dose. My treatment team at Stanford demanded it. I was supposed to get 3 Cisplatin treatments over 6 weeks with the standard radiation every day. (Around 32-33 treatments of rads). My hearing was tested before the 1st Cisplatin treatment and after each one. Unfortunately after the 2nd one they opted to not even give the 3rd because my hearing loss was severe on the lower frequencies. Didn’t switch, just opted not get anymore of any chemo. I finished the rads and today I am over 7 years out and NED. My hearing is not even close to what it used to be but I still function good with no hearing aids and still work full time. The Tinnitus in my ears is bad and has not changed since the day after my 1st treatment. After time, your brain adjusts and you get used to it but from all the research and what the doctors say it is for the most part permanent. On a brighter note, everyone does react different and some people have no problem at all. FWIW I did have excellent hearing prior to getting cancer. I wish you the best.

Mark