Electrical taste detection thresholds and chemical smell detection thresholds in patients with cancer

Abstract

Taste sensation in patients with cancer has previously been studied with the cumbersome method of chemical gustometry, which have produced inconsistent results. In this study taste thresholds were determined with the simple and reliable technique of electrogustometry in 51 patients with cancers of the lung (small cell), ovary or breast, and in 29 matched control patients with nonneoplastic disease. Chemical smell thresholds for phenyl‐methyl‐ethyl‐carbinol were studied in the same group of patients. Electrical taste threshold was higher in patients with cancer compared with control patients (30 [12 to 80] μA versus 9.5 [6.1 to 24] μA; median [interquartile range], P < 0.001). No differences were seen in smell thresholds. Patients who responded to chemotherapy obtained a decreased electrogustometric threshold at time of reevaluation (24 [8 to 64] μA versus 30 [15 to 90] μA; median [interquartile range], P < 0.05). These results suggest an effect of the malignant disease itself on taste thresholds. Cancer 68:2260–2265, 1991.

Effects of cisplatin on olfactory function in cancer patients

“…The result of our study and the single other prospective study reported (Ovesen et al, 1991) is that cisplatin has no measurable effect on the sense of smell. We conclude that there is no early negative effect of cisplatin on olfaction.…”

“…Ovesen measured olfactory thresholds in 22 patients prior to and 2 -3 months after treatment with several chemotherapeutic agents. They did not find statistically significant changes in olfaction although it should be noted that in this study the testing was performed with binary dilutions of a single odorant (Ovesen et al, 1991).…”

“…The direct application of cisplatin to the olfactory apparatus in a guinea-pig model caused atrophy of the olfactory epithelium, olfactory nerve and olfactory bulb (Zhou and Lin, 1995). Several subjective reports have noted that up to 52% of patients receiving cisplatin were aware of smell changes (Rhodes et al, 1994;Wickham et al, 1999;de Graeff et al, 2000;Schiffman and Graham, 2000), but only one previous study has prospectively addressed the issue of olfactory alterations after chemotherapy (Ovesen et al, 1991). We therefore carried out a prospective study incorporating objective qualitative tests of olfaction in order to test our hypothesis that cisplatin will result in an impaired sense of smell in cancer patients.…”

Effect of platinum-containing chemotherapy on olfactory, gustatory, and hearing function in ovarian cancer patients

“…In the study of Ovesen et al [6], olfactory thresholds did not change in 6 ovarian cancer patients at re-evaluation after 2-3 months' chemotherapy. To the best of our knowledge, four studies have investigated electrical taste thresholds in patients undergoing chemotherapy [6,[9][10][11]. Ovesen et al [6] showed that taste thresholds in six ovarian cancer patients decreased nonsigniWcantly at re-evaluation after 2-3 months' chemotherapy.…”

“…Only a few objective studies have focused on olfactory changes during chemotherapy [6][7][8], particularly ovarian cancer patients as a separate group [6]. In the study of Ovesen et al [6], olfactory thresholds did not change in 6 ovarian cancer patients at re-evaluation after 2-3 months' chemotherapy.…”