Purpose/Objectives: To describe the prevalence of issues
with taste function in survivors of head and neck cancer.
Design: Exploratory, cross-sectional.
Setting: Outpatients from Saint Louis University Cancer
Center in Missouri.
Sample: 92 adult head and neck cancer survivors, heterogeneous
in cancer site, treatment type, and time posttreatment,
ranging from three months to more than 28 years
after completion of therapy
Methods: Taste discrimination was assessed using high,
medium, and low concentrations of sweet, salty, sour, and
bitter tasting solutions.
Main Research Variables: Taste, percentage of weight
change, tumor site and stage, treatment type, and time since
completion of therapy
Findings: Eighty-five of 92 participants had some measurable
taste dysfunction. Confusion between bitter and sour and the
inability to discriminate among the different concentrations
of the sweet solutions were common. Statistically significant
weight loss was associated with dysgeusia.
Conclusions: Taste dysfunction was a persistent problem
across all categories of head and neck cancer treatments,
sites, and stages. Participants who reported the loss of one
or more specific taste modality performed poorly on the
taste test However, participants could not accurately predirt
which taste was most severely impaired.
Implications for Nursing: Taste dysfunction is a long-term
treatment-related side effect for head and neck cancer survivors.
Assessing for taste changes and dysgeusia are important
nursing considerations, as taste loss is distressing and associated
with decreased appetite. Future studies are needed to
identify interventions to help patients better manage and
adapt to this long-term complication of cancer therapy
Knowledge Translation: Flavors are recognized by taste,
texture, aroma, thermal quality, and visual cues. A disruption
of one or more of those sensory experiences alters flavor recognition.
Having intact taste sense but impaired flavor recognition
is possible. Finally, taste is not accurately self-reported
because it is commonly confused with flavor recognition