Ototoxic effects of antineoplastic drugs: a systematic review

Introduction: Platinum-based chemotherapeutics play an important role in the treatment of cancer at different levels and are the most cited ototoxic agents when scientific evidence is analyzed.

Objective: To present scientific evidence based on a systematic literature review, PRISMA, in order to systematize information on the ototoxic effects of using antineoplastic drugs.

Methods: For the selection of studies, the combination based on the Medical Subject Heading Terms (MeSH) was used. The Medline (Pubmed), LILACS, SciELO, SCOPUS, WEB OF SCIENCE and BIREME databases were used, without restriction of language, period, and location. Evaluation of the quality of the articles was carried out, which included articles with a minimum score of 6 in the modified scale of the literature. The designs of the selected studies were descriptive, cohort, and cross-sectional, which were related to the research objective.

Results: Three articles were included in this systematic review. The ototoxicity caused by cisplatin alone varied from 45% to 83.3%, while that caused by the use associated with carboplatin varied from 16.6% to 75%. There was a significant variation in the cumulative doses of these antineoplastic agents, both in isolated and in combination. Auditory changes, especially at high frequencies, were evident after completion of treatment.

Conclusion: Auditory changes after the use of platinum-based antineoplastic drugs were found, however, there was an important heterogeneity regarding the frequency of ototoxicity and the cumulative dose of the drugs used.