title: Food intake, eating-related complaints, and smell and taste sensations in patients with cancer of the lung, ovary and breast undergoing chemotherapy.
abstract: Nutritional status and energy and protein intake were studied in 52 patients with cancer of the breast, ovary or lung before, after 1, and after 3 cycles of aggressive chemotherapy. Pre-treatment intakes were somewhat lower than recommended and did not change after 3 cycles of chemotherapy, neither did nutritional status. Many patients had eating-related complaints, but these complaints did not increase significantly with chemotherapeutic treatment. In 31 patients electrical taste detection thresholds and chemical smell detection thresholds were measured before and after 3 cycles of chemotherapy. Changes in thresholds had no relation to changes in energy and protein intake. Perceived taste and smell changes were not reflected in chemosensory threshold values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine C, Division of Oncology Bispebjerg University Hospital, Bispebjerg Bakke, 2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ovesen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hannibal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Allingstrup