Abstract
Dysgeusia caused by cancer chemotherapy is an adverse event with a high incidence. It is a distressing side effect that can increase stress in patients with cancer, leading to loss of appetite and subsequently malnutrition. In contrast, because the complaints of dysgeusia often improve after withdrawal from chemotherapy, the diagnosis and evaluation of dysgeusia have been based mainly on subjective symptoms. Therefore, there have been few studies using objective taste tests, and the methods used to evaluate taste abnormalities are diverse and qualitative. The finding that hypergeusia, as well as hypogeusia, can occur in patients receiving chemotherapy indicates the importance of taste testing. Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus regarding the efficacy of zinc therapy, which has been established as a common method for the prevention and treatment of dysgeusia caused by cancer chemotherapy. The mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced taste disorders and the prevention and treatment of dysgeusia are still unclear. We would like to emphasize that the use of objective taste assessment allows us to identify individual taste changes by chemotherapy and to provide individual advice on the taste of food; the testing also provides psychological support to the patients as it reassures them that their complaints are taken seriously by medical professionals.
