Cisplatin Induced Hearing Loss

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the occurrence of and to identify suitable strategies for screening and monitoring of inner ear damage in patients receiving cisplatin chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Researchers will compare patients who are receiving cisplatin chemoradiotherapy to patients who are only receiving radiotherapy. Patients will undergo standardized testing for hearing loss, tinnitus and vestibular dysfunction at baseline, during and after treatment. Optional genetic analyses will aim to identify genes known to predispose to cisplatin-induced ototoxicity.

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase IIa clinical trial in adult male TCa patients with the risk to suffer from sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) due to cisplatin therapy within a chemotherapeutic regimen of testicular cancer. Patients will have an indication for a cisplatin-containing chemotherapy according to current guidelines and trial site tumor board recommendations. The trial is designed to show efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ACOU085 administered into the middle ear using 3 transtympanic injections per ear prior to 3 planned and corresponding 3-week chemotherapeutic cycles. The intra-individual control will be done by placebo injection into the respective contralateral middle ear.