TITLE:
Alteration of Taste Acuity in Pediatric Cancer Patients after Treatment Completion: A Cross-Sectional Study Using a Filter-Paper Disc Method
AUTHORS:
Ayako Nagai, Masaru Kubota, Souichi Adachi, Ken-ichiro Watanabe, Yasufumi Takeshita
KEYWORDS:
Pediatric Cancer, Cancer Treatment, Filter-Paper Disc Method, Taste Acuity
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.5 No.14,
August
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: Taste acuity of
adult patients undergoing cancer treatment has been well investigated; however,
studies of taste acuity after completion of cancer treatment are limited,
particularly in children. This study aimed to assess taste acuity in pediatric
cancer patients after treatment completion. Seventy-three patients who had
completed cancer treatment (median age, 13 years; range, 7 - 18 years) and had
not received any further treatment for at least 6 months were enrolled.
Eighty-one healthy children (median age, 10 years; range, 8 - 19 years) served
as controls. We determined the thresholds for four tastes (sweet, salty, sour,
and bitter) using the filter-paper disc method. There was no significant
difference in the thresholds of taste acuity for the four test solutions
between the patient and control groups. The duration since treatment completion
(