Taste alterations during neo/adjuvant chemotherapy and subsequent follow-up in breast cancer patients: a prospective single-center clinical study

Dysgeusia in Patients with Breast Cancer Treated with Chemotherapy—A Narrative Review

“…Although all antineoplastic drugs have been associated with some degree of taste alterations, an observational study conducted in 151 cancer patients (35% with BC) undergoing CT reported anthracyclines, paclitaxel, carboplatin, and docetaxel as the CT agents producing the highest taste disturbance rates, while the use of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil resulted in the lowest complaints [ 19 ]. Taxane-based therapies were reported to cause more severe dysgeusia, both in all cancers and in BC [ 17 , 20 ], with a prevalence of 75–93% in the former and 81.5% in the latter [ 17 ]. Two multicenter, phase III, randomized trials compared adjuvant cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil (CMF) with docetaxel (DXL) chemotherapy in ≥65-yo BC patients [ 21 , 22 ].…”

“…Indeed, very few studies have addressed the relative prevalence or severity of taste alterations following CT by cancer type both for all neoplasms [ 24 ] and for BC [ 6 ]. In BC patients, the high variability of incidence and prevalence of dysgeusia is probably related to the lack of standardized methods of assessment [ 20 ], which can lead to different detection rates of dysgeusia [ 6 ]. Most studies [ 15 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ] reported subjective assessments of taste alterations as self-reported by questionnaires or interview, and only few [ 6 , 8 , 14 , 17 ] measured the taste recognition thresholds with objective methods, such as taste strips.…”

“…In BC patients, the high variability of incidence and prevalence of dysgeusia is probably related to the lack of standardized methods of assessment [ 20 ], which can lead to different detection rates of dysgeusia [ 6 ]. Most studies [ 15 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ] reported subjective assessments of taste alterations as self-reported by questionnaires or interview, and only few [ 6 , 8 , 14 , 17 ] measured the taste recognition thresholds with objective methods, such as taste strips. Taste strips are filter paper discs impregnated with different concentrations of taste solutions of the tastes “sweet” (sucrose solution), “sour” (citric acid or tartaric acid solution), “salty” (sodium chloride solution), “bitter” (quinine-hydrochloride solution), and “umami” (monosodium glutamate solution) [ 6 , 8 , 14 , 17 ].…”

“…Dysgeusia may be persistent or intermittent [ 15 ], with cyclic impairments and improvements of taste function [ 15 , 24 ]. BC patients generally recover sense of taste within 3–6 months after CT [ 16 , 20 , 25 , 29 , 30 ], reaching baseline values on average at 12 months after treatment completion [ 20 , 25 ]. An impairment of all basic tastes (sweet, salt, bitter, sour, and umami flavors) was reported together with an abnormal metallic taste sensation [ 20 ].…”

“…BC patients generally recover sense of taste within 3–6 months after CT [ 16 , 20 , 25 , 29 , 30 ], reaching baseline values on average at 12 months after treatment completion [ 20 , 25 ]. An impairment of all basic tastes (sweet, salt, bitter, sour, and umami flavors) was reported together with an abnormal metallic taste sensation [ 20 ]. The perception of salty quality has been reported as the most compromised [ 8 , 29 ], especially in patients treated with taxanes [ 29 ].…”