The influence of chemotherapy on taste function in a breast cancer population

Introduction: 'Taste changes' are commonly reported by people receiving chemotherapy. It is unclear to what extent this refers to taste function (the stimulation of taste receptor cells to perceive sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness or umami) or to other determinants of flavour and the eating and drinking experience. To date, there has been insufficient published evidence to confirm problems with taste function. Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe the influence of chemotherapy on sensitivity and perceived intensity of the five primary tastes. Methods: Women (n038) scheduled to receive anthracycline- or taxane-containing chemotherapy were recruited. Prototypical taste solutions mimicking sweet, salt, sour, bitter and umami were used to measure taste sensitivity and intensity before and after commencement of chemotherapy treatment (baseline and time 1). Taste sensitivity was measured by correct or incorrect identification of tastants. Taste intensity was measured on a 10-cm VAS scale for each tastant. Paired sample t tests compared baseline and time 1 scores. Results: With the exception of sweet (sucrose), participants were less able to correctly identify all taste qualities at time 1. Bitter (caffeine) was the least identifiable quality at time 1 and was most often incorrectly identified as metallic. After bitter, participants were least able to correctly identify sour (citric acid), umami (MSG) and salt (sodium chloride), respectively, at time 1. There was no significant change in perceived intensity of tastants from baseline to time 1. Conclusions: A reduced ability to discern specific tastes after the commencement of chemotherapy may have implications for dietary choice and supportive care interventions.