Cisplatin remains an essential and highly effective treatment for many cancers, but its ototoxic effects can significantly affect hearing, communication, quality of life, and long-term survivorship. Early identification and coordinated management require close collaboration among oncology professionals and audiologists. This interdisciplinary panel will bring together an audiologist, pharmacist , and an oncology nurse to examine opportunities for integrating hearing care into the cancer treatment continuum. Panelists will provide an overview of cisplatin-related ototoxicity, including risk factors, clinical presentation, pharmacological intervention, and the importance of monitoring before, during, and after treatment. The course will introduce a collaborative audiology-oncology care model and an innovative screening protocol incorporating high-frequency audiometry, with clear pathways for referral when patients do not pass the screening. Through discussion of practical implementation considerations, professional roles, communication strategies, and barriers to coordinated care, attendees will gain a better understanding of how interdisciplinary collaboration can support earlier detection, timely intervention, informed treatment decisions, and improved outcomes for patients receiving ototoxic cancer therapies.
Attendees will be able to:
- Identify the risk factors, clinical signs, and potential effects of cisplatin-related ototoxicity on hearing, communication, and quality of life.
- Describe a pharmacological intervention to reduce the risk of cisplatin-induced hearing loss.
- Describe the respective roles of audiologists, oncologists, pharmacists, and oncology nurses within a collaborative ototoxicity monitoring and care model.
- Apply an ototoxicity monitoring protocol that incorporates high-frequency audiometry and appropriate referral pathways for patients who do not pass a hearing screening.
