Alteration in Taste Perception in Cancer: Causes and Strategies of Treatment

Abstract

The sense of taste is responsible for the detection and ingestion of food to cover energetic requirements in health and disease. The change in taste perception might lead to malnutrition that is usually one of the frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms of taste perception and how they are altered in cancer. We also address the question of the implication of inflammation, responsible for the alterations in taste modalities. We highlight the role of radio- and chemotherapy in the modulation of taste physiology. Other several factors like damage to taste progenitor cells and disruption of gut microbiota are also dealt with relation to taste perception in cancer. We further shed light on how to restore taste acuity, by using different preventive methods, dietary modifications and pharmacotherapy in subjects with advanced cancer state.

Ensuring the future of functional foods

“…However, sensory‐compromised situations, most often associated with taste and smell dysfunctionality are not confined to the elderly. Multiple aetiologies, including chemotherapy for cancer (Murtaza et al ., ; Jeter et al ., ), Alzheimer's disease (Sergi et al ., ; Boesveldt et al ., ), sinonasal disease and anosmia (Whitcroft et al ., ), can lead to poor appetite and potential malnutrition. Furthermore, cancer associated cachexia patients (Werner et al ., ; Baracos et al ., ; Crawford, ), could significantly benefit from development of high‐nutrient functional food products with soft texture characteristics as an aid to ease swallowing.…”

Sensory changes and lipoprotein ratios in patients with brain cancers during cancer‐related therapy: A prospective cross‐sectional study

“…Thus, pain assessments are needed during this period to evaluate the level of pain. Taste alterations and smell changes in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy were frequently observed in previous studies and are attributed to damage to taste cell receptors and nerves involved in taste perception and reduction in the amount of saliva produced due to neurotoxicity (Cardoso et al, 2018;Murtaza et al, 2017). Taste receptor cells or nerves are easily destroyed and rapidly replaced in the early weeks of CRT, and damage to these cells or nerves may cause various problems such as medication administration, weight loss, depression, and decline in quality of life.…”

HUBUNGAN ANTARA NAFSU MAKAN DENGAN ASUPAN ENERGI DAN PROTEIN PADA PASIEN KANKER PAYUDARA POST KEMOTERAPI<br><i>[Correlation between Appetite with Energy and Protein Intake of Post Chemotherapy Breast Cancer Patients]</i><br>

“…Menurut Kim, et al (2012), adanya sitokin proinfl amasi memicu penurunan jumlah sel-sel positif gustducin dan regenerasi taste reseptor cells (TRC). Hal tersebut menyebabkan terganggunya pelepasan neurotransmitter untuk mengaktifkan serabut saraf aferen yang membawa informasi rasa ke sistem saraf pusat (Murtaza et al, 2017).…”