University Studies Cancer Drug's Potential to Treat Hearing Loss

A developing study from the Creighton University School of Medicine discovered that a medication already in use could potentially treat hearing loss, reports KCTV 5 . The research determined that Dabrafenib, used for treating cancer like melanoma, small-cell lung carcinoma, and thyroid and biliary tract cancers, could protect hearing loss when orally administered to mice. "Dabrafenib showed no adverse effect to cisplatin's tumor-killing ability in tumor cell lines, and from having previously gone through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval process, we already know that some of the possible side effects of the drug such as headaches and skin rash are manageable, especially when the drug is administered for short periods of time," said Creighton's Matthew Ingersoll. Creighton's Tal Teitz noted that while the drug cannot regenerate cells once hearing loss is permanent, it can help prevent symptoms from worsening among those with partial hearing loss. In an ideal scenario, Dabrafenib also would work as a "day after" treatment for people experiencing temporary hearing loss due to a gunshot, explosion, or other factors. The drug is still in the animal testing phase, and Teitz thinks it would be available to the general population in three to five years if everything continues to move forward.