how to get your taste buds back after chemo

It is a significant cause of morbidity and affects patients’ diet by causing loss of appetite, reduced oral intake, and may result in weight loss. One of the main adverse events of these treatments is altered taste sensation which has a major effect on quality of life (QoL). The standard treatments for most Head and Neck (H&N) cancers include surgery, radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy (CT). There were strong trends to a correlation with saliva production that requires further exploration. We found a significant immediate reduction in taste sensation due to RT in H&N cancer patients with taste recovery 1 month after treatment completion. There were significant declines in QoL scores during RT. At T0 there was a significant positive correlation between overall taste sensation and whole-saliva sialometry, and at T1 and T2 there were strong trends. There was no significant correlation between the max or mean dose to the oral cavity and overall taste sensation or between doses to different areas of the tongue and overall or specific tastes. All returned to baseline at T3 and onwards. With specific tastes, there were significant decreases in sensation of sweet and salty, a trend with bitter and no change with sour. There was a significant decrease in overall taste sensation between T0 and T1 and T2. The median mean and max dose to the oral cavity were 25.1 (range 14–69) and 64.9 (range 30–70), respectively. The median prescribed radiation dose to the high dose volume was 66 (range 60–70). The most common tumor site was the oral cavity. Twenty-eight patients were recruited, and 21 patients completed study procedures and were analyzed. Patients were evaluated by Whole-Saliva Sialometry, validated Taste Strips and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer H&N QoL questionnaires prior to RT (T0), mid-point of radiotherapy dose (T1), at the end of radiotherapy (T2) and 1 (T3), 3 (T4) and 12 months (T5) after completion of treatment course.

Patients with H&N cancer treated with RT, in which the oral cavity was expected to receive a mean dose of 30 Gray (Gy). The aim of this study was to prospectively define the effect of RT on taste sensation (general, and four basic tastes) and correlate these findings with changes in saliva secretion and QoL questionnaires. It causes significant morbidity and has a major effect on quality of life (QoL). One of the main side effects of head and neck (H&N) radiation therapy (RT) is alteration in taste sensation.

How to get your taste buds back after chemo