The association between skeletal muscle mass and sensorineural hearing loss upon cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Introduction: Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) frequently experience irreversible sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Patients with low lumbar skeletal muscle index (LSMI) may experience higher serum peak dosages of cisplatin. This study investigated whether pre-treatment low LSMI is associated with increased SNHL upon cisplatin-based CRT. Materials and methods: LSMI was assessed using routine pre-treatment CT scans. Pure tone audiometry was performed at baseline and at follow-up to assess treatment-related SNHL. Linear mixed models were used to reveal a potential association between the continuous variable LSMI and SNHL. Results: This retrospective cohort study included 81 patients and found a significant association between low LSMI and increased treatment-related SNHL at pure tone frequencies vital for the perception of speech (averaged of 1, 2, and 4 kHz) (p = 0.048). Conclusions: HNSCC patients with low LSMI suffer increased treatment-related SNHL upon cisplatin-based CRT.