Taste Alteration in Children with Cancer Before and During Chemotherapy

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the taste alteration before and during chemotherapy in children with cancer. Materials and Methods: It is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The population of the study consisted of children aged 8-18 years who were followed up and received chemotherapy in the pediatric hematology and oncology clinic of a University Medical Faculty Oncology Hospital. A Child Description Form, the Taste Alteration Scale for Children Receiving Chemotherapy (TAS-CRC) and the Scale of Subjective Total Taste Acuity (SSTTA) were used to collect the data. Results: It was determined that 13.3% of the children before chemotherapy, 53.3% in the 3rd week of chemotherapy and 66.7% in the 6th week of chemotherapy experienced taste changes. It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the TAS-CRC administered before chemotherapy and at the 3rd and 6th week of chemotherapy. In addition, taste acuity was found to be higher in the 3rd and 6th week of chemotherapy compared to before chemotherapy. Conclusion: It was determined that both taste alteration and taste acuity in children were higher in the 3rd and 6th week of chemotherapy compared to pre-chemotherapy. Since taste alteration and increased taste acuity in children undergoing chemotherapy can adversely affect their nutrition, children should be regularly monitored in terms of height, weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI).