Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing Port-Said University.
Family and Community Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Port Said University.
Int J Palliat Nurs. 2024 Mar 2;30(3):147-155. doi: 10.12968/ijpn.2024.30.3.147.
Chemosensory changes that occur during chemotherapy can significantly impact food enjoyment, quality of life and recovery.
To investigate chemosensory changes reported by oncology patients during chemotherapy.
A mixed-method cross-sectional study design was used to explore 100 cancer patients' experiences of chemosensory changes during chemotherapy. All patients completed a questionnaire assessing their taste and smell preferences. A purposive sample of 30 patients underwent a semi-structured interview to elicit their thoughts on their experienced chemosensory changes. Descriptive statistics and themes were examined.
The mean age of the sample was 50.56 years, and the majority of participants were female. The most stated taste alteration was bitter, while altered food preferences were also commonly experienced. Furthermore, most patients experienced unpleasant odours around food, while some experienced these odours even when food was not present. Overall, five themes were identified: changes in taste, changes in smell, changes in social life, altered comfort and food preferences.
Chemosensory changes related to cancer and its treatment impact a person's nutrient intake, food-related behaviours, quality of life and treatment response. Patients who experience chemotherapy-associated chemosensory changes require specialised nutritional therapy to increase their eating-related pleasure. As part of the nutritional assessment, chemosensory alterations should be evaluated regularly.
化疗期间发生的化学感觉变化会显著影响食物享受、生活质量和康复。
调查癌症患者在化疗期间报告的化学感觉变化。
采用混合方法的横断面研究设计，探讨 100 名癌症患者在化疗期间化学感觉变化的体验。所有患者均完成了一份评估味觉和嗅觉偏好的问卷。对 30 名患者进行了有目的的抽样，进行半结构化访谈，以了解他们对经历的化学感觉变化的想法。检查了描述性统计数据和主题。
样本的平均年龄为 50.56 岁，大多数参与者为女性。最常报告的味觉改变是苦味，同时也常经历食物偏好的改变。此外，大多数患者在食物周围闻到不愉快的气味，而有些患者甚至在没有食物时也能闻到这些气味。总的来说，确定了五个主题：味觉变化、嗅觉变化、社会生活变化、舒适度和食物偏好改变。
与癌症及其治疗相关的化学感觉变化会影响一个人的营养摄入、与食物相关的行为、生活质量和治疗反应。经历化疗相关化学感觉变化的患者需要专门的营养治疗来增加他们的饮食相关愉悦感。作为营养评估的一部分，应定期评估化学感觉改变。
