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CompletedNCT01102621Updated Apr 13, 2010

Hearing Loss and Complaint in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Treated With Radiotherapy

An observational study in Hearing Loss, sponsored by Hospital A.C. Camargo. Completed at 1 site in Brazil. Open to participants aged 11 Years to 84 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2010-04-13.

Sponsored by Hospital A.C. Camargo · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
282
Ages
11 Years to 84 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Hypothesis: Treatment for head and neck tumors often involve methods that affect the auditory system and cause hearing loss. Neck dissection negatively impacts the lymphatic drainage, chemotherapy uses ototoxic drugs, radiotherapy affects blood flow and tissue radiation is toxic to the ear and may lead to hearing losses of various types and degrees.

Objective: To investigate occurrences of hearing loss and complaints among patients with head and neck tumors who underwent radiotherapy.

Study design: Prospective, case-control study. Setting: Tertiary care center hospital.

Subjects and Methods: 282 subjects were evaluated, 141 with head and neck tumors and 141 as an age-matched control group. The controls had never undergone oncological treatment that put their hearing at risk. All subjects underwent audiological evaluation, including the HHIE questionnaire, pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and immittance audiometry. The radiation dose received by the auditory system was calculated based on the percentage of the external auditory canal included in the radiation field.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hearing Loss

Keywords

  • hearing loss
  • head and neck cancer
  • radiotherapy
  • hearing complaint
  • Hearing loss due to the exposure of radiotherapy
03

In context

Head and Neck Neoplasms

2,344 studies on the registry are indexed under Head and Neck Neoplasms; 551 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 282 is above the median of 100 across 441 observational studies indexed under Head and Neck Neoplasms.

Browse Head and Neck Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Hospital A.C. Camargo as lead sponsor.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
11 Years to 84 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Study design: Prospective, case-control study. Setting: Tertiary care center hospital.

Inclusion criteria

  • The group of exposed individuals
  • had to be patients with disease-free survival interval of at least two years subsequent to treatment for head and neck cancer
  • radiotherapy alone or in combination, in which the auditory system was included in the field of irradiation.
  • The group of non-exposed individuals (control group)
  • had to be patients who had not undergone oncological treatment that put their hearing at risk
  • age-matched (2 years). This group was formed by individuals who had had pelvic tumors or skin tumors and who had only undergone local surgery to remove their tumors, and by female volunteers from the hospital.
  • All of these individuals were asked whether they would be willing to participate in a study, without knowing in advance whether they had any previous hearing problems or complaints.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • congenital hearing loss
  • otological surgery
05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
282 participants (actual)

Groups and cohorts

  • case-control, head and neck cancer with radiotherapy

    The group of exposed individuals had to be patients with disease-free survival interval of at least two years subsequent to treatment for head and neck cancer by means of radiotherapy alone or in combination, in which the auditory system was included in the field of irradiation.

  • case-control, head an neck cancer without radiotherapy

    The group of non-exposed individuals (control group) had to be patients who had not undergone oncological treatment that put their hearing at risk and who were age-matched (2 years). This group was formed by individuals who had had pelvic tumors or skin tumors and who had only undergone local surgery to remove their tumors, and by female volunteers from the hospital. All of these individuals were asked whether they would be willing to participate in a study, without knowing in advance whether they had any previous hearing problems or complaints.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. The hearing loss was evaluated through conventional tone threshold audiometry and a questionaire of hearing handicap was applied to both groups (individuals exposed to radiotherapy and the control group).

    We observed mild to moderate hearing losses at frequencies of 57.4% in right ears and 59.6% in left ears in the group exposed to radiotherapy and in the control group, 43.3% ofmild to moderate hearing loss in both ears.Severe or profound hearing losses or anacusis occurred at frequencies of 6.4% in right ears and 8.5% in left ears, versus only 1.4% in the control group.Furthermore, severe handicap was observed in 2.8% of the individuals in the control group, versus 19.1% in the group exposed to radiotherapy.

    Time frame: patientes were evaluated two years after finished the treatement

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Hospital A C Camargo
    São Paulo, SP 01509-900, Brazil
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Schultz C, Goffi-Gomez MV, Pecora Liberman PH, Pellizzon AC, Carvalho AL. Hearing loss and complaint in patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2010 Nov;136(11):1065-9. doi: 10.1001/archoto.2010.180. PubMed 21079158 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 13, 2010, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01102621
Lead sponsor
Hospital A.C. Camargo
First posted
Apr 13, 2010
Start date
Jan 2005
Primary completion
Jan 2007
Completion
Jul 2007
Last update
Apr 13, 2010

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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