Childhood cancers are uncommon diseases with an annual incidence rate of 16.5 per 100,000 children accounting for about 2 % of all new cancer cases in the United States [1,2]. Although most patients with childhood cancers can be treated, cancer is the second cause of death in children aged 1–14 [2]. There are 14.5 million cancer survivors in the United States. This number will increase to 19 million people in 2024, of whom 3 % are childhood cancer survivors [4]. Chemotherapy is one of the cancer treatments that destroy cancer cells by using some special medications [5]. Among the medications used in chemotherapy, we can mention platinum-based medications [6,7]. Platinum-based anticancer medications include carboplatin, cisplatin, and oxaliplatin, of which cisplatin is the most common. The use of cisplatin in advanced ovarian, bladder, head and neck, and lung cancers as well as some types of pediatric neoplasms has led to a significant therapeutic response. Another clinical application of this medication is its role in enhancing the effect of radiation therapy [[8], [9], [10]]. Nevertheless, cisplatin has significant side effects [11]. Alopecia, hiccups, convulsions, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, kidney failure, and hearing loss are among the side effects of this medicine. Among the side effects of cisplatin, hearing loss is one of the most important ones. Previous studies revealed that cisplatin induced hearing loss in 20–70 % of patients, of whom 28 % experienced moderate to severe ototoxicity [12,13]. Hearing loss is a permanent complication and can continue to progress even after cessation of cisplatin treatment [14,15]. It can also disrupt the development of speech and language skills in children [16,17]. In humans, cisplatin-induced hearing loss is usually bilateral and more severe at higher frequencies, and higher cumulative doses of cisplatin are associated with severe hearing loss [11,18]. Approximately 50 % of pediatric medulloblastoma patients experience hearing loss clinically within 2 years after receiving cisplatin chemotherapy [19]. Cisplatin also damages spiral ganglion neurons and stria vascularis [3]. Cisplatin-induced hearing loss is important because it not only affects quality of life but also affects speech and spoken language development in childhood [17]. In this study we investigated the effect of cisplatin-based chemotherapy on hearing loss in children with cancer.