To determine the role of amifostine as a protectant against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in patients with average-risk (AR) medulloblastoma treated with craniospinal radiotherapy and four cycles of cisplatin-based, dose-intense chemotherapy and stem-cell rescue.

The primary objective was to determine whether, in patients with AR medulloblastoma (n = 62), amifostine would decrease the need for hearing aids (defined as ≥ grade 3 ototoxicity in one ear) compared with a control group (n = 35), 1 year from initiating treatment. Ninety-seven patients received craniospinal irradiation (23.4 Gy) followed by 55.8 Gy to the primary tumor bed using three-dimensional conformal technique, and four cycles of high-dose cyclophosphamide (4,000 mg/m²/cycle), cisplatin (75 mg/m²/cycle), and vincristine (two 1.5 mg/m² doses/cycle) and stem-cell rescue. When used, amifostine (600 mg/m²/dose) was administered as a bolus immediately before and 3 hours into the cisplatin infusion.

The median age of the 97 patients was 8.7 years (range, 3.2 to 20.2 years). The study and control groups were similar in age and sex distribution. Amifostine was well-tolerated. One year after treatment initiation, 13 patients (37.1%) in the control group versus nine (14.5%; one-sided χ² test P = .005) of the amifostine-treated patients had at least grade 3 ototoxicity, requiring hearing aid in at least one ear.

Amifostine administered before and during the cisplatin infusion can significantly reduce the risk of severe ototoxicity in patients with AR medulloblastoma receiving dose-intense chemotherapy.