Key points:
- Hearing loss is a major adverse effect of the treatment of an NPC
patient and cochlear implantation is an effective method for the
recovery of the hearing of patients suffering from severe to profound
hearing loss.
- This is the first study applying multidisciplinary team method to face
the long-term complications after chemoradiotherapy for NPC patients,
including limitation of the mouth opening, caused by temporomandibular
joint dysfunction, osteoradionecrosis of the temporal bone, chronic
otitis media and radioactive encephalopathy.
- Our study showed that MDT has an important role in the whole process
of diagnosis and treatment, which can rapidly reduce the perioperative
risk, effectively predict the postoperative auditory effect, and
prevent the occurrence of postoperative complications.
- Based on the results of the MDT discussion, surgeons employed
different operative approaches depending on the patient’s situation,
including the extent of ORNTB and the intactness of tympanic membrane.
- Our study showed that the application of CI in patients who underwent
chemoradiotherapy for NPC is relatively safe and feasible.