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Chemotherapy Drugs And Hearing Problems: Pharmacokinetics May Explain Differences In Cisplatin And Oxaliplatin Ototoxicity

Date:
December 31, 2008
Source:
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Summary:
More cisplatin enters the inner ear in an animal model than oxaliplatin. The difference may explain why cisplatin treatment in humans can lead to hearing problems while oxaliplatin rarely does.
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More cisplatin enters the inner ear in an animal model than oxaliplatin. The difference may explain why cisplatin treatment in humans can lead to hearing problems while oxaliplatin rarely does.

The amount of cisplatin a patient can tolerate is often limited by hearing damage induced by the drug, referred to as ototoxicity. Oxaliplatin is not frequently associated with the problem, despite the fact that both drugs are platinum compounds.

To find out why the difference exists, Victoria Hellberg, M.D., at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues measured the amount of cisplatin and oxaliplatin that reached the cochlea in guinea pigs following intravenous dosing of each drug.

The total platinum concentration in the cochlea was more than five-fold higher with cisplatin than with oxaliplatin following intravenous injection. The perilymphatic drug concentration was also higher in the cisplatin-treated animals than in those exposed to oxaliplatin.

"The differences in cochlear kinetics and cellular uptake that we found in the hearing end organ are sufficient to explain the difference in ototoxicity between cisplatin and oxaliplatin," the authors conclude.

This research is published in the December 30 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.


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Materials provided by Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "Chemotherapy Drugs And Hearing Problems: Pharmacokinetics May Explain Differences In Cisplatin And Oxaliplatin Ototoxicity." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 31 December 2008. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231112849.htm>.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute. (2008, December 31). Chemotherapy Drugs And Hearing Problems: Pharmacokinetics May Explain Differences In Cisplatin And Oxaliplatin Ototoxicity. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231112849.htm
Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "Chemotherapy Drugs And Hearing Problems: Pharmacokinetics May Explain Differences In Cisplatin And Oxaliplatin Ototoxicity." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231112849.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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