Cochlear Implants for Radiation-Induced Hearing Loss in Nasopharyngeal Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Authors

Kaitlyn A Roberts, Lauren E Williamson, Shaun A Nguyen, Lucas C Licaj, Sami I Nassar, Jacqueline P Nguyen, Jason G Newman, Ted A Meyer

Published in

The Laryngoscope. Sep 29, 2026. Epub Sep 29, 2026.

Abstract

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of cochlear implantation for auditory rehabilitation in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiation.
CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Scopus were searched from inception through February 2026.
Studies reporting cochlear implantation for hearing loss after radiation for NPC were included. Subjective and objective measures of hearing, including thresholds, speech perception, quality-of-life outcomes, and surgical complications, were extracted. Pooled means and proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for available outcomes using random-effects models. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed using Oxford Levels of Evidence and Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools.
Twelve studies (N = 69 ears) were included. Cochlear implantation was most commonly performed via standard mastoidectomy with posterior tympanotomy, with alternative approaches used selectively. Surgical and device-related complications were uncommon, with 80.4% (95% CI: 55.1-96.7) without intraoperative complications and 96.5% (95% CI: 88.3-99.5) without postoperative complications. Audiometric improvement was observed in 91.3% of patients (95% CI: 73.1-98.8), with gains in speech perception and patient-reported outcomes. Mean duration of profound hearing loss prior to implantation was 6.5 years.
Cochlear implantation after radiation in patients with NPC is generally safe and effective, providing meaningful auditory and functional benefits even in long-standing hearing loss. These findings support routine audiologic surveillance after radiation to enable timely referrals for rehabilitation.
NA.

PMID:
42811759
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.