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Changes in taste among pediatric patients with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients

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Abstract

Purpose

Changes in taste is a common bothersome symptom in children receiving cancer treatments. However, little is known about how pediatric cancer patients experience this symptom. The objective was to describe how children receiving cancer treatments experience taste alterations and the approaches they use to address the issue.

Methods

In this qualitative study, we included English-speaking children 4–18 years of age with cancer or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients who were actively receiving cancer treatment or who had completed therapy. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, we asked questions about the experience of altered taste sensation. We asked about its characteristics, impacts and identified coping strategies.

Results

We included 50 children. Children experienced changes in taste in a heterogeneous fashion although commonly described food as tasting “different”, “not right” or “funny”. While change in food preferences due to taste alterations was common, specific choices varied. Many found changes started with treatment initiation or mid-way through treatment, and some found that symptoms persisted up to 9 months following treatment completion. Actions taken to address taste changes were sucking on candy, brushing teeth and modifying food choices.

Conclusions

The experience of changes in taste was common yet highly variable in its presentation and resultant changes in food preferences. Taste changes did not always resolve soon after treatment completion. Future research should identify ways to manage this symptom in pediatric cancer patients.

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Funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada

    Robyn Loves, Erin Plenert, Vivian Tomlinson, Sasha Palmert, Deborah Tomlinson, Emily Vettese, L. Lee Dupuis & Lillian Sung

  2. Division of Clinical Dietetics, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Gloria Green

  3. Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Gloria Green, Tal Schechter, Sue Zupanec & Lillian Sung

  4. Department of Pharmacy, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada

    L. Lee Dupuis

  5. Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    L. Lee Dupuis

Authors
  1. Robyn Loves
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  2. Erin Plenert
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  3. Vivian Tomlinson
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  4. Sasha Palmert
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  5. Gloria Green
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  6. Tal Schechter
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  7. Deborah Tomlinson
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  8. Emily Vettese
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  9. Sue Zupanec
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  10. L. Lee Dupuis
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  11. Lillian Sung
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Contributions

LS conceptualized and designed the study, drafted the initial manuscript and reviewed and revised the manuscript. RL and EV designed the data collection instruments and coordinated data collection. RL collected data, RL and EP reviewed data, drafted the initial manuscript and reviewed and revised the manuscript. VT and SP collected data, reviewed data and reviewed and revised the manuscript. GG, TS, DT, EV, SZ and LD revised the initial data collection instruments and critically reviewed the manuscript for important intellectual content.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lillian Sung.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study obtained research ethics approval by The Hospital for Sick Children’s Research Ethics Board (#100060182). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Loves, R., Plenert, E., Tomlinson, V. et al. Changes in taste among pediatric patients with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients. Qual Life Res 28, 2941–2949 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02242-5

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