Atypical hearing loss in women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant treatment

SummaryThere are no reports of adjuvant treatments for early breast cancer causing hearing loss. Yet in this exploratory study 14/16 women who had received Fluorouracil, Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide (FEC) chemotherapy regimen, 11 of whom also received endocrine treatment, had reduced hearing sensitivity, with 9/16 being atypical. It is not clear whether this finding is related to oestrogen reduction and/or ototoxicity but a more detailed investigation in this area is warranted given the large number of women with breast cancer who receive adjuvant treatments.