Taste Alteration in Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate nutrition in cancer patients, chemotherapy-induced taste alterations and the factors affecting these taste alterations. METHODS This study was planned as a cross-sectional study. Patients who had received chemotherapy at least once and had been on chemotherapy for the last 7-10 days (n=112) were included in this study. The data were collected using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events and the Chemotherapy-induced Taste Alteration Scale (CiTAS). RESULTS The CiTAS score was higher in female cancer patients. Patients with nausea 2.19 (SD=1.00) and vomiting 3.13 (SD=1.21) had higher scores on the taste disorder subscale of the CiTAS, while patients with vomiting 3.00 (SD=1.42) had higher scores on the general taste alterations subscale (p<0.05). Patients with constipation received high scores on the subscales of reduction in intake of the basic tastes, taste disorder, and general taste alterations 2.50 (SD=1.27) (p<0.05). Patients with a lack of appetite obtained high scores on the subscales of reduction in the intake of the basic tastes, taste disorder, phantogeusia, parageusia, and general taste alterations 2.64 (SD=1.29) (p<0.05). Mild malnutrition was observed in 24.6% of the patients. CONCLUSION This study revealed that taste alteration was higher in female and early-stage patients and more severe in patients with nausea, vomiting, constipation, and mucositis. Taste alteration was found to be greater in patients with poor nutritional status.