Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
PLoS One. 2024 May 9;19(5):e0302990. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302990. eCollection 2024.
The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of taste alterations (TAs) during chemotherapy and their association with nutritional status and malnutrition. In addition to the associated factors with TA, including sociodemographic health-related factors and clinical status, and to investigate coping strategies to manage TA. A multicenter cross-sectional design study was conducted on 120 cancer patients aged at least 18 who had been undergoing at least one round of chemotherapy. TAs were evaluated using the chemotherapy-induced taste alteration scale (CiTAS), the malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) was used for nutritional screening, the antineoplastic side effects scale (ASES) was used for subjective assessment of chemotherapy side effects, and the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was used for comorbidity assessment. SPSS21 software was used to analyze the data, and the independent T-test and one-way ANOVA test were used to determine the association between TAs and a variety of related variables. The prevalence of TAs was 98.3%. Among participants, 48.3% were at low risk of malnutrition, 20% at medium risk, and 31.7% at high risk. Malnutrition risk was associated with taste disorders (p<0.05). Patients' age, gender, educational level, and physical status were associated with TAs (p<0.05). Type of cancer, chemotherapy regimen, and number of chemotherapy cycles were also associated with TAs (p<0.05). A variety of antineoplastic side effects were associated with TAs (p<0.05), including nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, sore mouth and throat, excessive thirst, swallowing difficulty, appetite changes, weight loss, dizziness, lack of energy, disturbed sleep, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating. TAs were associated with an increased number of comorbidities, and individuals with diabetes, pulmonary diseases, and hypertension were associated with TAs (P<0.05). Patients in this study rarely practice self-management strategies to cope with TAs. A high prevalence (98.3%) of TAs in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy was found, and it was linked to a variety of negative outcomes. Chemotherapy-induced TAs are an underestimated side effect that requires more attention from patients and health care providers.
本研究旨在确定化疗期间味觉改变（TAs）的患病率及其与营养状况和营养不良的关系。除了与 TA 相关的因素，包括社会人口健康相关因素和临床状况，还调查了应对 TA 的策略。对至少接受过一轮化疗的 120 名年龄至少 18 岁的癌症患者进行了一项多中心横断面设计研究。使用化疗诱导的味觉改变量表（CiTAS）评估 TAs，使用营养不良通用筛查工具（MUST）进行营养筛查，使用抗肿瘤副作用量表（ASES）对化疗副作用进行主观评估，以及使用 Charlson 合并症指数（CCI）进行合并症评估。使用 SPSS21 软件分析数据，使用独立 T 检验和单因素方差分析检验 TA 与多种相关变量之间的关系。TAs 的患病率为 98.3%。在参与者中，48.3%有低营养不良风险，20%有中风险，31.7%有高风险。营养不良风险与味觉障碍有关（p<0.05）。患者的年龄、性别、教育水平和身体状况与 TAs 有关（p<0.05）。癌症类型、化疗方案和化疗周期数也与 TAs 有关（p<0.05）。多种抗肿瘤副作用与 TAs 有关（p<0.05），包括恶心、呕吐、口干、口腔和喉咙疼痛、过度口渴、吞咽困难、食欲改变、体重减轻、头晕、乏力、睡眠障碍、焦虑和注意力不集中。TAs 与合并症数量增加有关，患有糖尿病、肺部疾病和高血压的个体与 TAs 有关（P<0.05）。本研究中的患者很少采取自我管理策略来应对 TAs。接受化疗的癌症患者中 TAs 的高患病率（98.3%）与多种负面结果有关。化疗引起的 TAs 是一种被低估的副作用，需要患者和医疗保健提供者给予更多关注。
