Quality of life, taste, olfactory and oral function following high-dose chemotherapy and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

Abstract

Summary:Multiple oral complaints develop following high-dose chemo/radiotherapy and hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) which can influence quality of life. The purpose of this investigation was to assess quality of life, oral function, taste and smell in a cohort of patients following HCT. A general quality of life survey (the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)) Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire (QLQ-C30), with an added oral symptom and function scale and assessment of taste and smell was administered to a consecutive series of patients at day 90-100 post HCT. General QOL was impacted by fatigue, affecting physical, social emotional and cognitive function. While oral function scales appeared to be little affected at day 90-100 post HCT, abnormalities of taste were reported. Reports of changes in taste and smell appeared to parallel each other and changes remained at the time of the survey post-HCT. Change in taste appeared to be closely associated with dry mouth. Patients appeared to have difficulty in differentiating sour and bitter, which had been more affected than salt and sweet taste. Females appeared to report greater changes in taste than males. Increased smell sensitivity and taste change resulted in changes in food preparation in some cases, as did reported increase in sensitivity to sour and bitter taste. Acute complications are well known to affect QOL during the early period following HCT, but little assessment of long-term changes in oral QOL and taste has been conducted following transplant. The EORTC QLQ C-30 questionnaire with the oral addendum provides a measure of the quality of life and oral function, and may provide useful outcome measures for assessment of oral care prevention and management in HCT patients.

The Impact of Cancer Treatment on the Diets and Food Preferences of Patients Receiving Outpatient Treatment

“…Previous studies have had mixed findings regarding the association between gender and chemosensory alterations, with some studies finding no gender differences (14) and others finding females more likely than males to experience sensitivities (26). In this study, females were more likely than males to report some chemosensory alterations.…”

Effects of cisplatin on olfactory function in cancer patients

“…Our results are in accordance with the results of Ovesen et al, who also failed to demonstrate impaired olfaction following treatment with cisplatin. A quality-of-life questionnaire-based study reported a subjective change in sense of smell in 26% of patients following high-dose chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation, although more patients reported an increase in smell sensation rather than a decrease (Epstein et al, 2002).…”

Etoposide induces more severe mucositis than CY when added to TBI as conditioning in allograft recipients receiving CsA and MTX

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