Niigata City General Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 463-7 Shumoku, Chuo-ku, Niigata-shi, Niigata 950-1197, Japan.
Gynecol Oncol. 2013 Dec;131(3):674-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2013.09.015. Epub 2013 Sep 20.
Taste disturbance is known to occur as one of the adverse events associated with chemotherapy for gynecological cancer, but few studies have attempted to assess it in practical terms. Therefore, a range of taste tests was performed in gynecological cancer patients.
The patients were 23 women with gynecological cancer being treated with anticancer agents. Subjective symptoms of altered taste were classified, and objective findings were obtained with the following four gustatory tests: serum trace element (zinc, copper, iron) levels, tongue cultures, electrogustometry, and the filter paper disc tests.
Of the 23 subjects, 11 perceived taste disturbances. The serum zinc level was consistently below the lower limit of normal. On tongue cultures, indigenous bacteria were seen in all patients during the entire treatment period. Electrogustometry revealed a tendency for the development of hypogeusia in the chorda tympani nerve field. Conversely, hypergeusia tended to develop gradually in the greater petrosal nerve field. The filter paper disc test revealed a tendency for the development of hypergeusia for sweetness, saltiness, and sourness in the chorda tympani nerve field. Hypogeusia for bitterness tended to develop with increasing number of chemotherapy cycles. The glossopharyngeal nerve field exhibited the same tendencies as observed in the chorda tympani nerve field. In the greater petrosal nerve field, there was a tendency for the development of hypergeusia for sweetness, sourness, and bitterness.
Abnormal test results were seen in half of patients after cancer chemotherapy.
味觉障碍是已知与妇科癌症化疗相关的不良反应之一，但很少有研究试图从实际角度评估它。因此，对妇科癌症患者进行了一系列味觉测试。
患者为 23 名正在接受抗癌药物治疗的妇科癌症女性。主观味觉改变症状被分类，并通过以下四种味觉测试获得客观发现：血清微量元素（锌、铜、铁）水平、舌培养、电味觉测试和滤纸盘测试。
23 名受试者中，有 11 名出现味觉障碍。血清锌水平始终低于正常下限。在舌培养中，所有患者在整个治疗期间均可见本土细菌。电味觉测试显示鼓索神经场中味觉减退的趋势。相反，味觉过敏在岩浅大神经场中逐渐发展。滤纸盘测试显示鼓索神经场中对甜味、咸味和酸味的味觉过敏呈发展趋势。苦味味觉减退随着化疗周期的增加而发展。舌咽神经场表现出与鼓索神经场相同的趋势。在岩浅大神经场中，甜味、酸味和苦味的味觉过敏呈发展趋势。
癌症化疗后，一半患者的测试结果异常。
