SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS: If you could take a drug that would help cure your cancer, but it would make you go deaf, would you still take the drug? Cisplatin is a widely used anticancer drug that unfortunately carries some major side effects, including hearing loss and damage to the nerves and kidneys. Its high toxicity often requires dose reductions or the use of less effective alternate drugs. Cisplatin-induced hearing loss can range from 50-75 percent in adults. When the drug is used to treat neuroblastomas in pediatric cancer patients, extreme care must be taken because hearing loss can hamper
