Remote Field Application of Digital Technology for Hearing Assessments in a Cohort of Pediatric Germ Cell Tumor Survivors

Monterroso PS, Knight K, Roesler MA, Sample JM, Poynter JN. Remote Field Application of Digital Technology for Hearing Assessments in a Cohort of Pediatric Germ Cell Tumor Survivors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024 Sep 3;33(9):1177-1184. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-24-0203. PMID: 38869488; PMCID: PMC11371521.

Childhood cancer survivors treated with platinum-based chemotherapy are at risk of treatment-induced hearing loss. Accurate evaluation of hearing thresholds has historically been limited to clinical audiometry, which is logistically challenging and expensive to include in epidemiological studies. We evaluated the feasibility of using a remote, tablet-based hearing assessment in a cohort of pediatric germ cell tumor (GCT) survivors treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Survivors from the GCT Outcomes and Late effects Data (GOLD) study were recruited to the pilot study (n=100). Study personnel conducted remote hearing assessments of standard and extended high frequency thresholds using validated tablet-based audiometry (SHOEBOX Inc). T-tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests evaluated differences in assessment characteristics between children and adults. Agreement between self-reported and measured hearing loss was calculated using Cohen’s kappa.