Oral & Maxillofacial Medicine Department, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti Medical University, Tehran, Iran.
J Oral Pathol Med. 2013 Jan;42(1):106-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0714.2012.01200.x. Epub 2012 Aug 3.
Dysgeusia is a relatively common complication of head and neck radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate taste condition after head and neck radiotherapy and its impact on quality of life.
In this cohort study 22 patients with head and neck cancer in Tehran University of Medical Sciences Hospital, were interviewed and examined before and 3 weeks after radiotherapy. Patients were given three consecutive concentrations of sugar, salt, citric acid and quinine sulfate solutions to evaluate their taste sensation by Whole Mouth Technique. EORTC-QLQ-H&N35 questionnaire was used before and after radiotherapy to assess the quality of life. Statistical analysis was done using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, Spearman's Coefficient of Correlation, Paired t-test, Multiple Ordinary and Multiple Linear Regressions.
Significant changes were observed in concentrations and intensities of different perceived tastes before and after radiotherapy. All patients had dysgeusia after radiotherapy and 72.2% had total taste loss. Impairment was observed mainly in salt and bitter tastes followed by sour and sweet. Subjective dysgeusia reported by 3/4 of the patients, which was correlated with objective taste disorder in terms of different tastes intensity. Age, sex, radiotherapy fractions, dosage and patients level of education had no significant effects on taste alteration. Quality of life was significantly deteriorated after the occurrence of dysgeusia in both total and partial taste losers. None of the aforementioned factors had significant effects on quality of life.
Head and neck radiotherapy causes impairment in taste perception, and life quality is influenced by dysgeusia.
味觉障碍是头颈部放疗后较为常见的并发症之一。本研究旨在评估头颈部放疗后味觉状况及其对生活质量的影响。
本队列研究纳入了德黑兰医科大学附属医院的 22 例头颈部癌症患者，在放疗前和放疗后 3 周对其进行了访谈和检查。患者采用全口技术分别接受连续三种浓度的糖水、盐水、柠檬酸和硫酸奎宁溶液，以评估其味觉感知。放疗前后采用 EORTC-QLQ-H&N35 问卷评估生活质量。采用 Wilcoxon 符号秩检验、Spearman 相关系数、配对 t 检验、多元普通最小二乘法和多元线性回归进行统计学分析。
放疗前后不同感知味觉的浓度和强度均发生显著变化。所有患者放疗后均出现味觉障碍，72.2%的患者出现完全味觉丧失。损害主要发生在盐和苦味之后，其次是酸味和甜味。3/4 的患者报告出现主观味觉障碍，与不同味觉强度的客观味觉障碍相关。年龄、性别、放疗次数、剂量和患者教育程度对味觉改变无显著影响。味觉障碍发生后，患者的生活质量在总体和部分味觉丧失者中均显著恶化。上述因素均对生活质量无显著影响。
头颈部放疗可导致味觉感知障碍，味觉障碍会影响生活质量。
