A UNIVERSITY is leading an urgent study to find ways to protect the hearing of some cancer patients.

The widely-used chemotherapy drug cisplatin can cause permanent and severe hearing loss after treatment.

This has a devastating impact on the quality of life for cancer survivors, according to Action on Hearing Loss.

The charity is funding new research at the University of Sussex to find ray of preventing the life-changing side effect.

Cisplatin causes the sensory hair cells in the inner ear that detect sound to die and the study is aiming to discover how the drug gets into the cells.

A search for compounds that can either prevent cisplatin from being taken-up by the cells or prevent them from dying is now underway.

It is hoped this will ultimately lead to the development of a drug that could be given with cisplatin to prevent hearing loss.

Action on Hearing Loss chief executive Paul Breckell said: “Over the last 40 years cancer survival rates in the UK have doubled.

“While this is clearly a cause to celebrate, we should not forget that the lives of many survivors can be seriously affected by the side effects of their treatment.

“That is why we are funding research into discovering ways to protect the hearing of people treated with cisplatin, which is known to damage people’s hearing which in turn can leave them isolated, depressed and upset.”

University of Sussex PHD student Sian Kitcher is involved in the study.

She said: “I’ve gone into hearing research as it’s extremely varied and interesting – and the results can have a real impact on the quality of life of millions of people.

“I believe the far-reaching effects of hearing loss on a person’s life are not always fully appreciated – it’s not a visible disability – so to have the chance to contribute to preserving hearing and making lives better is very rewarding.”