Impact of taste and smell training on taste disorders during chemotherapy - TASTE trial

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Julia Von Grundherr - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Barbara Koch - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Donata Grimm - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Jannike Salchow - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Luzia Valentini - , Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences (Author)
  • Thomas Hummel - , Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Carsten Bokemeyer - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Alexander Stein - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Julia Mann - , University of Hamburg (Author)

Abstract

Purpose: Two-thirds of cancer patients report taste disorders during and after chemotherapy. Taste disorders impact on nutritional status which is highly relevant for treatment efficacy and overall prognosis. Improvement of taste disorder is of particular importance for cancer patients’ outcomes, thus the TASTE trial was conducted to improve taste disorders with a taste and smell training. Methods: In this trial, patients undergoing chemotherapy were screened for taste disorders. Subsequently, patients were allocated based on the detection of taste disorders (=8 taste strips points) to an intervention group with a taste and smell training at baseline and week 3-5 or were only followed up, if no taste disorder was detected (=9 taste strips points) (non-intervention group). At baseline, all patients received a nutritional counseling. The primary endpoint was the minimal clinically relevant improvement of taste strips score by 2 taste strips points in at least 50% of the patients with taste disorders. Results: The trial included 62 patients (48 women [77%], 14 male [23%], age 54.5±11.6 years) who had gastrointestinal (n=29), breast (n=31), or lung cancer (n=2). Taste disorders were more frequent in gastrointestinal than in breast cancer patients. Out of 62 patients screened, 30 patients showed taste disorders. The primary endpoint was met with 92% (n=23 of 25) of the patients completing the intervention. In the intervention group, the patients’ taste significantly improved from baseline (median taste strips: 7.0 points) to week 12 (median taste strips: 10.0 points) (P≤0.001). Patients of the non-intervention group who completed the reassessment (n=27 of 32) experienced no change in taste perception in the 3-month follow-up (P=0.897). Conclusion: Intensified nutritional counseling with taste and smell training may improve taste perception of patients undergoing chemotherapy. A confirmatory randomized trial is planned.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4493-4504
Number of pages12
JournalCancer management and research
Volume11
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/152545980

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Cancer patients, Malnutrition, Nutritional counseling, Nutritional intervention, Taste and smell training, Taste disorders