CISPLATIN IN CHILDREN - HEARING-LOSS CORRELATES WITH IRIS AND SKIN PIGMENTATION

Pigmentation is reported to affect cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in ad ult humans. The hearing loss is worse in people with brown irises, tha n in those with blue irises. We assessed the hypothesis that cisplatin -treated children with dark irises suffer more deterioration in audito ry thresholds than do those with less pigmentation. For the 19 childre n whose data met the requirements of this observational retrospective study, we found a weak correlation (Spearman's r = 0.50; p<0.05) of hi gh frequency hearing loss (at 4000 Hz) and pigmentation. Blue or hazel -eyed children averaged 2.9 dB worsening at 4000 Hz, in contrast to 14 .2 dB worsening for brown or black-eyed children. Pigmentation may acc ount for some of the individual susceptibility to cisplatin ototoxicit y. We suggest that iris colour be included in future reports of cispla tin-related hearing loss.