Characteristics of taste alterations in people receiving taxane-based chemotherapy and their association with appetite, weight, and quality of life

Abstract

Purpose There is limited evidence on the effect of chemotherapy-associated taste alteration. This study aimed to evaluate taste alteration characteristics in patients receiving taxane-based chemotherapy and investigate the association of taste alterations with appetite, weight, quality of life (QOL), and adverse events. Methods This cross-sectional study evaluated 100 patients receiving paclitaxel, docetaxel, or nab-paclitaxel as monotherapy or combination therapy. Taste alterations were evaluated using taste recognition thresholds and severity and symptom scales. Taste recognition thresholds, symptoms, appetite, weight, and adverse events were compared between patients with and without taste alterations, and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors. Results Of the 100 patients, 59% reported taste alterations. We found significantly elevated taste recognition thresholds (hypogeusia) for sweet, sour, and bitter tastes in the taste alteration group receiving nab-paclitaxel (p = 0.022, 0.020, and 0.039, respectively). The taste alteration group reported general taste alterations, decline in basic taste, and decreased appetite. Neither weight nor QOL was associated with taste alterations. Docetaxel therapy, previous chemotherapy, dry mouth, and peripheral neuropathy were significantly associated with taste alterations. Conclusions Almost 60% of patients receiving taxane-based regimens, especially docetaxel, reported taste alterations. Taste alteration affected the patient’s appetite but did not affect the weight or QOL. Docetaxel therapy, previous chemotherapy, dry mouth, and peripheral neuropathy were independent risk factors for taste alterations.

Dysgeusia in Patients with Breast Cancer Treated with Chemotherapy—A Narrative Review

“…Taste and/or smell are not altered in BC patients before CT [ 14 ]. In BC subjects under CT, the prevalence and incidence of dysgeusia are both highly variable, ranging respectively from 59% to 83% [ 15 , 16 , 17 ] and from 53% to 97.3% [ 7 , 18 ] ( Table 1 ). Possible reasons for these differences are described below.…”

“…Although all antineoplastic drugs have been associated with some degree of taste alterations, an observational study conducted in 151 cancer patients (35% with BC) undergoing CT reported anthracyclines, paclitaxel, carboplatin, and docetaxel as the CT agents producing the highest taste disturbance rates, while the use of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil resulted in the lowest complaints [ 19 ]. Taxane-based therapies were reported to cause more severe dysgeusia, both in all cancers and in BC [ 17 , 20 ], with a prevalence of 75–93% in the former and 81.5% in the latter [ 17 ]. Two multicenter, phase III, randomized trials compared adjuvant cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil (CMF) with docetaxel (DXL) chemotherapy in ≥65-yo BC patients [ 21 , 22 ].…”

“…In BC patients, the high variability of incidence and prevalence of dysgeusia is probably related to the lack of standardized methods of assessment [ 20 ], which can lead to different detection rates of dysgeusia [ 6 ]. Most studies [ 15 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ] reported subjective assessments of taste alterations as self-reported by questionnaires or interview, and only few [ 6 , 8 , 14 , 17 ] measured the taste recognition thresholds with objective methods, such as taste strips. Taste strips are filter paper discs impregnated with different concentrations of taste solutions of the tastes “sweet” (sucrose solution), “sour” (citric acid or tartaric acid solution), “salty” (sodium chloride solution), “bitter” (quinine-hydrochloride solution), and “umami” (monosodium glutamate solution) [ 6 , 8 , 14 , 17 ].…”

“…Most studies [ 15 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ] reported subjective assessments of taste alterations as self-reported by questionnaires or interview, and only few [ 6 , 8 , 14 , 17 ] measured the taste recognition thresholds with objective methods, such as taste strips. Taste strips are filter paper discs impregnated with different concentrations of taste solutions of the tastes “sweet” (sucrose solution), “sour” (citric acid or tartaric acid solution), “salty” (sodium chloride solution), “bitter” (quinine-hydrochloride solution), and “umami” (monosodium glutamate solution) [ 6 , 8 , 14 , 17 ]. Although objective methods are superior for assessing taste physiology and impairment, subjective reports more accurately describe the experiences of cancer patients [ 15 ].…”

Efeito da fotobiomodulação nas alterações do paladar em pacientes sob transplante de células hematopoiéticas: estudo clínico randomizado

“…Em geral, a redução do paladar ou o aumento da sensibilidade a alguns sabores pode reduzir a massa corporal e a qualidade de vida dos pacientes devido à redução da ingestão de alimentos. O impacto das alterações do paladar no peso corporal e na qualidade de vida em sido recentemente abordado na literatura de TCH (Cohen et al, 2016;Ponticelli et al, 2017;Abasaeed et al, 2018;Barban et al, 2020;Ferreira et al, 2020;Kaizu et al, 2021).…”