# Physiological, Behavioral and Predictive Correlates of Ototoxicity in Humans

> **NIH VA I01** · PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · —

## Abstract

Ototoxicity is a well-established toxicity of the platinum-based chemotherapies that are in frequent use for the
treatment of solid tumors of the head and neck, lung, ovary, testicle, and bladder in adults. Early indicators of
ototoxicity, which could prompt intervention to potentially prevent the health-related and psychosocial impacts
for these patients, are not apparent in the absence of direct auditory measurement. National audiology
guidelines, have stipulated that prospective monitoring for ototoxicity (OM) be conducted for all patients at high
risk for this harmful side effect to allow for early detection, aural rehabilitation, and potential modification of the
drug treatment before the effects become disabling. Specifically, for patients receiving cisplatin, monitoring prior
to each treatment is recommended practice (ASHA 1994; AAA 2009). Based on our current research, OM must
target those patients who will receive the most benefit to be feasible for large-scale implementation in VA.
 The goal of this study is to address the critical need in hearing healthcare for improved OM, diagnoses and
clinical interventions in patients receiving treatment with cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin chemotherapeutics
by providing new knowledge of the mechanisms of ototoxicity, its functional manifestation, and new insights on
the patient and provider perspective. Our overall approach is to investigate relationships among the specific
behavioral deficits, sites of lesion, and hearing healthcare priorities of chemotherapy patients to learn which
patients will develop ototoxicity, how much damage they can expect, and whether it will impact their everyday
life. This knowledge is needed to shift current OM practice patterns toward a more effective and clinically feasible
approach so that Veterans at elevated risk for ototoxicity could have their auditory concerns addressed through
patient-centered OM, rehabilitation and/or drug therapy interventions. Clinical impacts include estimates of
ototoxicity incidence for Veterans receiving platinum-based chemotherapeutic treatments; and tools to generate
an individual ototoxicity risk profile that when combined with the patient-provider team priorities, will inform OM
resource allocation, pre-treatment counseling, and decision making for ototoxic drug treatment. Knowledge gains
include increased understanding of tinnitus generation and speech understanding deficits and the implications
of these symptoms regarding the underlying ototoxic injury.
 To understand more about the mechanisms underlying ototoxicity-caused tinnitus and hearing problems
[Aim 1], we will refine and expand our previously published dose-ototoxicity model and determine its utility for
predicting changes in auditory deficits for individual patients. One refinement will be to include pre-treatment
ABR and DPOAE measures in the model because we expect post-treatment tinnitus and hearing status to be a
function of the combination of any new (otot...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10104386
- **Project number:** 5I01RX003127-02
- **Recipient organization:** PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** DAWN L KONRAD-MARTIN
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-02-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10104386

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10104386, Physiological, Behavioral and Predictive Correlates of Ototoxicity in Humans (5I01RX003127-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10104386. Licensed CC0.

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