Taste dysfunction in patients receiving radiotherapy.
BACKGROUND
Taste loss is a major cause of morbidity in patients undergoing head and neck irradiation.


METHODS
In a prospective study, 51 patients undergoing radical head and neck irradiation at the Tokyo University Hospital were assessed for taste loss. Taste ability was measured by the taste threshold for the four basic tastes (sweet, sour, salt, and bitter qualities) plus another taste of "umami" quality using a filter-paper-disc method in patients before, during, and after radiotherapy (RT).


RESULTS
All tastes declined on the fifth week after the start of RT and improved on the 11th week. Anatomic pathologic analyses in rats revealed that taste buds diminished completely on the sixth day after irradiation of 15 Gy in a single fraction, and the appearance of taste buds returned almost to the preirradiation state on the 28th day.


CONCLUSIONS
The main cause of taste disorder resulting from RT was believed to be a disappearance of taste buds and not damage to the taste nerves.
Yamashita
Hideomi
H
Department of Radiology, University of Tokyo Hospital, 7-3-1, Hongo, Tokyo, 113-8655 Japan. yamashitah-RAD@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Nakagawa
Keiichi
K
Tago
Masao
M
Nakamura
Naoki
N
Shiraishi
Kenshiro
K
Eda
Momoe
M
Nakata
Hiroki
H
Nagamatsu
Nami
N
Yokoyama
Rika
R
Onimura
Mayuko
M
Ohtomo
Kuni
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013651:Taste Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013652:Taste Threshold / Q000528:radiation effects*