A study has found that a new drug sodium thiosulphate (STS) can reduce hearing loss in children treated for hepatoblastoma, a childhood liver cancer.

The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The article stated that a Cancer Research UK-funded SIOPEL-6 clinical trial results have shown that administering STS following a specific chemotherapy called cisplatin on hepatoblastoma patients decreases hearing loss by nearly 50%.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Led by researchers of Great Ormond Street Hospital, the trials included 109 children.

During the trials, a group of patients received cisplatin alone and another section had cisplatin followed by STS after six hours.

Around 63% of the children who were given only cisplatin suffered a degree of hearing loss, while it reduced 33% for the children treated with cisplatin and STS, reducing the risk of side-effect by 48%.

“This treatment combination could help ensure that parents aren’t faced with an upsetting scenario where successful cancer treatment comes at the cost of their child’s hearing.”

Additionally, administration of STS had no difference in overall survival or incidence of cancer reoccurrence.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Great Ormond Street Hospital trial lead and paediatric consultant Dr Penelope Brock said: “For children treated with cisplatin alone, a huge proportion are left with permanent hearing loss, which can be utterly debilitating. Even mild hearing loss can severely impact a child’s future development.

“Key consonants are heard at high frequencies like ‘s,’ ‘h,’ and ‘f’, and their loss can be particularly difficult for children who haven’t yet developed speech.

“This treatment combination could help ensure that parents aren’t faced with an upsetting scenario where successful cancer treatment comes at the cost of their child’s hearing.”

Cisplatin has been effective in treating multiple cancers such as hepatoblastoma, improving survival significantly.

However, most of the children treated with cisplatin are affected with hearing loss to some extent.