GUSTATORY AND OLFACTORY DYSFUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER
1Sancaktepe Şehit Prof. Dr. İlhan Varank Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, KBB, İstanbul, Turkey2Süreyyapaşa Göğüs Hastalıkları ve Göğüs Cerrahisi Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Tıbbi Onkoloji, İstanbul, Turkey Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the olfactory and gustatory dysfunction and their effects on quality of life in patients with lung cancer.
Methods: A total of 40 patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer and a control group of 40 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. The Sniffin" Sticks test was used to evaluate their olfactory function, and taste strips were used for their gustatory function. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ-C30), Patient-Generated Positive Global Assessment (PG-SGA), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were applied to all patients.
Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in the odor and taste scores of the patients compared with the control group (p < 0.001). The mean score of the patients in EORTC-QLQ-C30 general health status subscale was 58.3 ± 21.8 (moderate). The odor threshold was significantly correlated with the EORTC-QLQ-C30 general health scores (r = 0.31; p = 0.004) and physical functioning scores (r = 0.32; p = 0.041). Furthermore, 45% of the patients had moderate and severe malnutrition according to PG-SGA classification. Symptoms related to nausea (p = 0.015), fatigue (p = 0.001), and appetite loss (p ? 0.001) were more significant in the patients with moderate and severe malnutrition.
Conclusion: Patients with lung cancer have lower taste and smell scores compared with healthy individuals. On the other hand, better olfaction is associated with higher functionality, which may indicate that olfactory changes can affect a person's overall health.
Keywords : Cancer, taste, smell, quality of life