Cochlear implants, tumors and the importance of preventive health care

“When I go running in the spring and hear the birds singing, this melody always makes me happy.” Running is Prof. Dr. Martin Burian´s hobby. Hearing is part of his profession: he is a specialist in head and neck surgery, president of Austrian Cancer Aid in Upper Austria, and head of the Department of ENT Medicine, Head and Neck Surgery at the Klinik der Barmherzigen Schwestern in Linz, which is a point of contact for tumor patients.
“For me, communication is at the forefront of hearing,” says Burian. But many people only notice what they are losing when their hearing starts to deteriorate. Early hearing tests and timely treatment are therefore crucial, just as they are for the early detection of tumors.

The history of cochlear implants in Austria

Prim. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Martin Burian is a specialist in tumor diseases and President of the Austrian Cancer Aid in Upper Austria. ©BHS Linz

Prof. Martin Burian's father was head of the ENT department at Vienna University Hospital, Prof. Dr. Kurt Burian. In the early 1970s, he brought the idea of electrical hearing stimulation back to Austria from his stays in the USA.

Together with electrical engineer Ingeborg Desoyer and TU assistant Erwin Hochmair, he developed the world's first multi-channel cochlear implant, which was implanted in Vienna in 1977 and which is a milestone in medical technology.

“As a 16-year-old, I wasn't particularly interested in all that,” smiles Prof. Martin Burian. But today he is delighted: “I do believe it is an incredible success story that a small country can build up such a business that plays a significant role in the global supply of implants.”

Cancer surgery and early detection

As a specialist in head and neck surgery, Burian treats numerous tumors every year. In Austria, around 1,400 people are diagnosed with head and neck tumors every year. The chances of recovery are often good, if the disease is detected early.

In the case of tumor diseases, the timing of intervention is therefore a matter of life and death. Less dramatic, but equally life-changing, is the effect of delayed intervention in people with hearing problems. It is often relevant to the potential success of hearing care: "with newborns, we should not exceed the ninth month. " In older patients, the expert points to diseases that require implantation as soon as possible.

It is therefore no surprise that in tumor medicine, as in hearing, the importance of appropriate examinations as part of preventive health care is repeatedly emphasized: for the earliest possible diagnosis and intervention.

Cochlear implants and tumors have more similarities than you might think

These two topics have more in common than you might think: many people are reluctant to talk about their symptoms, whether they have a tumor or hearing loss. Shame and ignorance often lead to preventive checkups being carried out too late.

“We need to raise awareness among people that these conditions exist,” Burian urges. Public relations work and personal stories help to break taboos and motivate those affected to seek preventive care.

The situation is similar when it comes to hearing loss, where those affected and their relatives can even contact other experienced sufferers directly – for example, at hoerverlust.at or, of course, at our CI-A association!