[Vestibulotoxic effects of the cytostatic drug carboplatin in patients with head and neck tumors].

Ototoxic side effects of cisplatin have often been reported, but no conclusive data have been reported about carboplatin ototoxicity. We investigated the vestibular toxicity of carboplatin therapy in two groups of 18 patients with head and neck cancer. The treated group was examined before, during and after chemotherapy. The control group comprised patients undergoing surgery and/or radiation. The incidence of peripheral vestibular dysfunction was major (27%) in patients undergoing carboplatin administration compared with the control group (10%). Central vestibular disorders which were often observed in both groups included the neurotoxic and neuropathic effects of drugs and alcohol, which are commonly consumed by patients with head and neck tumours. Similar findings have been ascribed previously to paraneoplastic syndromes.