Chemotherapeutic treatment with cisplatin is highly effective against many types of cancer. Unfortunately, cisplatin can produce cochlear damage resulting in irreversible hearing loss if treatment continues. Preventing or minimizing cochlear damage is critical, especially in a population of Veterans where pre-existing hearing losses are often present prior to drug treatment. At least 30% of Veterans become unable to provide reliable behavioral data during the course of their treatment. A rapid, sensitive and reliable non-behavioral method that does not require an alert and attentive patient would be indispensable for an ototoxicity monitoring program. During the current support period, we developed a multivariate ototoxicity risk assessment (ORA) model combining the pre-exposure (to medication) audiogram and cumulative cisplatin dose with fine resolution distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) level changes observed at each chemotherapeutic visit. The ORA is a quick, sensitive and reliable detector of ototoxicity that can provide hearing information for those Veterans who are unable to take a hearing test. Before it can be used in the clinic, however, the ORA must be validated. Objectives: The first objective is to validate the ORA on a new and independent group of subjects. The second objective is to evaluate if the ORA can be improved even further by using multiple DPOAE frequencies (2f1-f2 and 2f2-f1) or, alternatively, by using stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs). The third objective is to determine if OAEs can predict an individual's susceptibility for hearing change during future treatment with cisplatin. Objectives 2 and 3 can be accomplished using the validation procedures with only a small increase in testing time for the SFOAEs. Methods: Two hundred and forty-six subjects receiving cisplatin and 30 control subjects receiving non-ototoxic chemotherapy medications will be screened at the Portland VA Medical Center (PVAMC) during the study period. Behavioral audiometric thresholds at conventional and extended high frequencies and fine structure OAE level measures (DPOAEs and SFOAEs) with 1/48th-octave precision will be obtained bilaterally on each subject within 24hrs of starting their chemotherapy regimen, at each subsequent treatment and at one-month after cessation of treatment. Testing will be done on the chemotherapy unit at PVAMC Analysis: The ORA will be used to diagnose hearing change for each subject at each monitoring visit. Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis will be used to evaluate the accuracy of the ORA on this new sample to address aim #1.
Aim #2 will be addressed using leave-one-out cross-validation analysis of candidate ORAs using SFOAE and multiple DPOAE measures and compared to the original ORA using non-parametric statistical tests.
Aim #3 will be evaluated using discrete-time survival analysis to predict the risk of hearing change over the course of treatment as a function of baseline OAE measurements along with other patient factors. This proposal has three major strengths over previous attempts to use OAE testing for the early detection of ototoxicity. First, it is unique in its utilization of Clinical Decision Theory methodology for evaluating test performance and developing criteria for determining that a significant change in the OAE has occurred. Second, we use a multivariate approach by combining OAEs obtained over a range of frequencies with pre-cisplatin exposure hearing data and the cisplatin cumulative dose, in order to obtain the ototoxicity risk assessment. Finally, individual components of the ORA are weighted such that the linear combination of these components best distinguishes ears of cisplatin-treated subjects with ototoxic hearing change from those without. The final ORA diagnostic model will be selected from a set of competing models using cross validation procedures.

Public Health Relevance

A comprehensive ototoxicity monitoring program using individualized behavioral and objective techniques will significantly reduce the number of Veterans who suffer permanent disabling hearing loss requiring costly rehabilitation. During the current support period, we developed a multivariate ototoxicity risk assessment (ORA) model combining the pre-exposure (to medication) audiogram and cumulative cisplatin dose with fine resolution distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) level changes observed at each chemotherapeutic visit. This multivariate ORA model is highly accurate at detecting ototoxic hearing changes when they cannot be directly measured. Before it can be used in the clinic, however, the ORA model must be validated. Further improvements, such as may be accomplished through the combined use of 2f1-f2 and 2f2-f1 DPOAEs or stimulusfrequency otoacoustic emissions, are also desirable for testing patients with greater hearing loss.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Veterans Affairs (VA)
Type
Non-HHS Research Projects (I01)
Project #
5I01RX000239-03
Application #
8894387
Study Section
Sensory Systems/Communication (RRD3)
Project Start
2010-07-01
Project End
2013-06-30
Budget Start
2012-07-01
Budget End
2013-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Portland VA Medical Center
Department
Type
DUNS #
089461255
City
Portland
State
OR
Country
United States
Zip Code
97239
Konrad-Martin, Dawn; Poling, Gayla L; Garinis, Angela C et al. (2018) Applying U.S. national guidelines for ototoxicity monitoring in adult patients: perspectives on patient populations, service gaps, barriers and solutions. Int J Audiol 57:S3-S18
Brungart, Douglas; Schurman, Jaclyn; Konrad-Martin, Dawn et al. (2018) Using tablet-based technology to deliver time-efficient ototoxicity monitoring. Int J Audiol 57:S25-S33
Garinis, Angela C; Cornell, Alexandra; Allada, Gopal et al. (2018) Ototoxicity monitoring through the eyes of the treating physician: Perspectives from pulmonology and medical oncology. Int J Audiol 57:S19-S24
Konrad-Martin, Dawn; Knight, Kristin; McMillan, Garnett P et al. (2017) Long-Term Variability of Distortion-Product Otoacoustic Emissions in Infants and Children and Its Relation to Pediatric Ototoxicity Monitoring. Ear Hear :
Konrad-Martin, Dawn; Poling, Gayla L; Dreisbach, Laura E et al. (2016) Serial Monitoring of Otoacoustic Emissions in Clinical Trials. Otol Neurotol 37:e286-94
Reavis, Kelly M; McMillan, Garnett P; Dille, Marilyn F et al. (2015) Meta-Analysis of Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission Retest Variability for Serial Monitoring of Cochlear Function in Adults. Ear Hear 36:e251-60
Dille, Marilyn F; McMillan, Garnett P; Helt, Wendy J et al. (2015) A Store-and-Forward Tele-Audiology Solution to Promote Efficient Screenings for Ototoxicity during Cisplatin Cancer Treatment. J Am Acad Audiol 26:750-60
Konrad-Martin, Dawn; Reavis, Kelly M; McMillan, Garnett et al. (2014) Proposed comprehensive ototoxicity monitoring program for VA healthcare (COMP-VA). J Rehabil Res Dev 51:81-100
Konrad-Martin, Dawn; Reavis, Kelly M; McMillan, Garnett P et al. (2012) Multivariate DPOAE metrics for identifying changes in hearing: perspectives from ototoxicity monitoring. Int J Audiol 51 Suppl 1:S51-62
Dille, Marilyn F; Wilmington, Debra; McMillan, Garnett P et al. (2012) Development and validation of a cisplatin dose-ototoxicity model. J Am Acad Audiol 23:510-21