title: Taste dysfunction in head and neck cancer survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence of issues with taste function in survivors of head and neck cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Exploratory, cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatients from Saint Louis University Cancer Center in Missouri.
  
  
  METHODS
  92 adult head and neck cancer survivors, heterogeneous in cancer site, treatment type, and time post-treatment, 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  Taste, percentage of weight change, tumor site and stage, treatment type, and time since completion of therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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 predict which taste was most severely impaired.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Saint Louis University, MO, USA. lashmann@slu.edu
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing; D015995:Prevalence; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013651:Taste Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing*; D055697:Taste Perception