Taste and smell disturbances in cancer patients: a scoping review of available treatments

• Published in: Supportive care in cancer Vol. 29; no. 1; pp. 49 - 66
• Main Authors: Sevryugin, Olga, Kasvis, Popi, Vigano, MariaLuisa, Vigano, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.01.2021; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Amifostine - therapeutic use; Analysis; Cancer; Cancer patients; Carboplatin; Care and treatment; Carnosine - analogs & derivatives; Carnosine - therapeutic use; Chemotherapy; Dietary supplements; Dronabinol - therapeutic use; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Nursing; Nursing Research; Nutrition; Nutritional Status - physiology; Olfaction Disorders - drug therapy; Olfaction Disorders - pathology; Oncology; Organometallic Compounds - therapeutic use; Pain Medicine; Palliative care; Palliative Care - methods; Palliative treatment; Quality of Life - psychology; Rehabilitation Medicine; Review Article; Selenium - therapeutic use; Senses; Side effects; Smell; Smell - physiology; Taste; Taste - physiology; Taste Disorders - drug therapy; Taste Disorders - pathology; Therapy; Vismodegib; Zinc Compounds - therapeutic use; Taste; Dysgeusia; Treatment; Cancer; Smell
• ISSN: 0941-4355; 1433-7339; 1433-7339
• DOI: 10.1007/s00520-020-05609-4

Purpose Taste and smell disturbances in patients affected by cancer are very common, but often under-recognized symptoms. If not addressed properly, they may impact nutritional status, food enjoyment, and quality of life. Treatment tools available for clinicians to manage chemosensory alterations are limited and are often based on personal clinical experiences. The aim of this study was to assess current oncological and palliative care literature through a scoping review, in order to identify available treatments for taste and smell alterations in cancer patients. Methods Medline, Embase, CINAHL, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and Google Scholar were searched from inception until January 2020, with subject headings relevant to the domains of chemosensory alterations, palliative, and cancer care. A total of 10,718 English and French language publications were reviewed, yielding 43 articles on the researched topic. Results The heterogeneity of selected articles led to difficulties in interpretation and analysis of the available evidence. Included publications differed in study design, population sample, anticancer treatments, and measures of assessment for taste and smell disturbances. A broad variety of treatment options were described including zinc and polaprezinc, radio-protectors, vitamins and supplements, anti-xerostomia agents, active swallowing exercises, nutritional interventions, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and photobiomodulation. Conclusion This scoping review identifies the current state of knowledge regarding chemosensory alterations within supportive cancer care. Despite not reaching firm conclusions, this article offers therapeutic venues to further explore in larger and more methodologically sound studies.