Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep;29(9):5103-5114.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-021-06066-3. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

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

Mikiko Kaizu  1 , Hiroko Komatsu  2 , Hideko Yamauchi  3 , Teruo Yamauchi  4 , Masahiko Sumitani  5 , Ardith Z Doorenbos  6   7
Affiliations

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

Mikiko Kaizu et al. Support Care Cancer. 2021 Sep.

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.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Quality of life; Taste alterations; Taste disorders; Taxane.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Wagland R, Richardson A, Ewings S, Armes J, Lennan E, Hankins M, Griffiths P. Prevalence of cancer chemotherapy-related problems, their relation to health-related quality of life and associated supportive care: a cross-sectional survey. Supportive Care in Cancer. 2016;12:4901–4911. doi: 10.1007/s00520-016-3346-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Williams AR, Mowlazadeh B, Sisler L, Williams PD. Self-reported assessment of symptoms and self-care within a cohort of U.S. veterans during outpatient care for cancer. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2015;19(5):595–602. doi: 10.1188/15.cjon.595-602. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rahnama M, Madej-Czerwonka B, Jastrzebska-Jamrogiewicz I, Jamrogiewicz R. Analysis of the influence of parenteral cancer chemotherapy on the health condition of oral mucosa. Contemporary Oncology (Poznan, Poland) 2015;19(1):77–82. doi: 10.5114/wo.2014.45291. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bernhardson BM, Tishelman C, Rutqvist LE. Chemosensory changes experienced by patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy: a qualitative interview study. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2007;34(4):403–412. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2006.12.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Turcott JG, Juarez-Hernandez E, De la Torre-Vallejo M, Sanchez-Lara K, Luvian-Morales J, Arrieta O. Value: changes in the detection and recognition thresholds of three basic tastes in lung cancer patients receiving cisplatin and paclitaxel and its association with nutritional and quality of life parameters. Nutrition and Cancer. 2016;68(2):241–249. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2016.1144075. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources

-