title: Preliminary estimation of the prevalence of chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia in Japanese patients with cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although dysgeusia is a common adverse event in chemotherapy patients; it has not been evaluated using objective methods, and its prevalence and frequency have not been quantified.
  
  
  METHODS
  Salt-impregnated taste strips were used to objectively assess dysgeusia in patients receiving chemotherapy at Akita University (n = 38) and those off chemotherapy (n = 9). Participant characteristics, and ongoing and previous chemotherapies were evaluated, and their associations with dysgeusia analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dysgeusia developed in 38.8% (14/38) of chemotherapy patients, and was most prevalent in patients receiving 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or its oral analogs (48.1%, 13/27). Particularly, dysgeusia developed in 55.6% (10/18) of patients receiving oral 5-FU analogs; however, prevalence in patients receiving and off chemotherapy was not significantly different. Patients aged ≥70 years also tended to experience dysgeusia (75.0%, 6/8).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Association with dysgeusia may be higher for some chemotherapeutic drugs. Dysgeusia should be routinely assessed in chemotherapy patients with objective methods such as paper strips; interventions for its prevention may be required.
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soeda
authors.forename: Keigo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komine
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Akita University, Hodo 1-1-1, Akita, Akita, Japan. hiroyuki@med.akita-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibata