Multicenter, prospective, observational study of chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia in gastrointestinal cancer

• Published in: Supportive care in cancer Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 5351 - 5359
• Main Authors: Ito, Ken, Yuki, Satoshi, Nakatsumi, Hiroshi, Kawamoto, Yasuyuki, Harada, Kazuaki, Nakano, Shintaro, Saito, Rika, Ando, Takayuki, Sawada, Kentaro, Yagisawa, Masataka, Ishiguro, Atsushi, Dazai, Masayoshi, Iwanaga, Ichiro, Hatanaka, Kazuteru, Sato, Atsushi, Matsumoto, Ryusuke, Shindo, Yoshiaki, Tateyama, Miki, Muranaka, Tetsuhito, Katagiri, Masaki, Yokota, Isao, Sakata, Yuh, Sakamoto, Naoya, Komatsu, Yoshito
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acetates; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Cancer; Care and treatment; Chemosensory perception; Chemotherapy; Complications and side effects; Dysgeusia - chemically induced; Dysgeusia - drug therapy; Epidemiology; Gastric cancer; Gastrointestinal cancer; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms - drug therapy; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Nursing; Nursing Research; Observational studies; Oncology; Oncology, Experimental; Original; Original Article; Pain Medicine; Prospective Studies; Rehabilitation Medicine; Retrospective Studies; Side effects; Taste; Taste disorders; Zinc - therapeutic use; Zinc Acetate - therapeutic use; Zinc in the body; Polaprezinc; Zinc acetate hydrate; Chemotherapy; Dysgeusia; Gastrointestinal cancer; Taste disorder
• ISSN: 0941-4355; 1433-7339
• DOI: 10.1007/s00520-022-06936-4

Purpose Dysgeusia is an adverse event caused by chemotherapy. Although retrospective studies have shown zinc administration improves dysgeusia, there have been no prospective studies. The present study examined effects of zinc therapy on dysgeusia in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Methods This multicenter, prospective, observational study enrolled patients with dysgeusia during chemotherapy treatment. Patients received no intervention (control), polaprezinc p.o., or zinc acetate hydrate p.o., and serum zinc levels were measured at 0 (baseline), 6, and 12 weeks. Dysgeusia was assessed using CTCAE v5.0 and subjective total taste acuity (STTA) criteria using questionnaires at baseline and 12 weeks. Results From February 2020 to June 2021, 180 patients were enrolled from 17 institutes. There were no differences in mean baseline serum zinc levels among the groups (67.3, 66.6, and 67.5 μg/dL in the no intervention, polaprezinc, and zinc acetate hydrate groups, respectively. P  = 0.846). The changes in mean serum zinc levels after 12 weeks were − 3.8, + 14.3, and + 46.6 μg/dL, and the efficacy rates of dysgeusia were 33.3%, 36.8%, and 34.6% using CTCAE and 33.3%, 52.6%, 32.7% using STTA in the no intervention, polaprezinc, and zinc acetate hydrate groups, respectively. The STTA scores improved in all groups, with significant improvement observed in the polaprezinc group compared with the no intervention group ( P  = 0.045). Conclusion There was no significant correlation between the degree of serum zinc elevation and improvement in dysgeusia, suggesting that polaprezinc, but not zinc acetate hydrate, was effective in improving chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia. Trial registration. UMIN000039653. Date of registration: March 2, 2020.