Smell and Taste Disorders Resulting from Cancer and Chemotherapy

Abstract

Malnutrition is common in both adult and pediatric patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Patients commonly attribute difficulties maintaining food intake to an altered taste developed during treatment. This review summarizes what is known about taste and smell dysfunction in patients with undergoing chemotherapy as their main treatment modality. Self-reported taste and smell alterations are prevalent in upwards of 86% of cancer patients. There is some evidence for decreased taste sensitivity in cancer patients when assessed using common gustatory tests. In some patients, taste and smell alterations may continue well after their cancer treatment has been completed. Such disorders can increase distress, reduce appetite and contribute towards poor nutritional status in cancer patients. There remain no effective interventions for improving the appetite or nutritional intake of patients with cancer experiencing taste and smell changes. There is a lack of consistency in assessment methodologies for measuring taste and smell changes in cancer patients and we therefore recommend that future work use well-established methods. Research should also take into account the role of food hedonics, food flavor and texture in assessing the association between taste dysfunction, poor oral intake and malnutrition in cancer patients. Both adult and child cancer patients should be counselled on the potential impact taste and smell dysfunction can have on their appetite and oral intake.

Symptom experiences in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer as reported during healthcare encounters

“…The recommendations stemming from prior studies that more attention be given to appetite and taste changes, which have been found to be problematic for both patients and caregivers (Bennion & Molassiotis, 2013;Cohen, Wakefield, & Laing, 2016), are consistent with our findings. Our findings also support other studies that have revealed that constipation, nausea and vomiting interfere with cancer patients' lives in significant ways, affect their adherence to medication and cause psychological distress (Dhingra et al, 2013;Salihah, Mazlan, & Lua, 2016).…”

Prevalence and risk factors of taste and smell impairment in a nationwide representative sample of the US population: a cross-sectional study

“…Moreover, asthma was a predictor of poor olfactory function in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis 37. Some clinical studies have also demonstrated that smell function is significantly decreased in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy,38 39 and at least one study suggest that the prevalence of self-reported taste and smell alterations could reach as high as 86% 40. Of note, smoking was not associated with the prevalence of smell impairment in our cross-sectional analysis.…”

Nutritional Support for a Child With Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukaemia at Various Stages of Antineoplastic Therapy: A Clinical Case

“…К сожалению, удаление зонда не решило в достаточной степени проблем с аппетитом и питанием ребенка обычным путем. Вопрос о решении подобной проблемы у таких пациентов до настоящего дня остается открытым и, судя по всему, требует комплексного, в том числе психологического и возможно, психиатрического, вмешательства [12,14,15].…”