Clinical impact and follow-up of taste disturbances following myeloablative or nonmyeloablative chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation

Abstract

e20609 Background: Stem cell transplantation (SCT) after myeloablative (MA) or non-myeloablative (NMA) chemotherapy is a successful treatment option for a variety of diseases. Although alterations of taste and smell are frequently encountered after these modalities, no systematic evaluation is available so far. Methods: A questionaire was developed covering aspects of the dietary pattern and changes in the perception of taste and smell. Clinical data were gathered from the charts. The study was approved by the institutional review board. Data of the first 100 of 200 planned patients’ (pts) are presented. Results: pts were surveyed after a median of 22 months from SCT (range 1–292), their age ranged from 20–76 years. Indications for SCT included acute leukemia (n=38), myeloproliferative disease (n=20), lymphoma (n=13), and others (n=29). Pts received an allogeneic graft after MA (n=48) or NMA (n=32) conditioning, 20 pts received an autologous one. 75% of pts reported moderate to severe changes in taste perception on a semiquantitative visual analogue scale during the acute phase of SCT with no differences between the three groups (73%, 79%, 75%). 28% of the pts reported a complete regression at the time of survey, 25% still suffered from moderate to severe changes. This finding was more prevalent after allogeneic SCT (30% after MA conditioning, 28% after NMA) compared to pts with autologous grafts (10%). Whereas pts without persisting changes in taste perception lost a median of 3 kg of body weight, pts suffering from severe changes lost 15 kg. Conclusions: Taste disturbances are a common after SCT. Symptoms are persistant in one third of the pts. In the allogeneic setting, no differences exist between MA and NMA conditioning. The lower incidence of persiting changes in taste perception after autologous SCT might be attributed to the absence of graft versus host disease or the dispensability of immunosuppression. Changes in taste perception correlate with weight loss. No significant financial relationships to disclose.