Sensory Evaluation of Taste and Smell in Oncology

NCT06643026 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 69HCL24_0728
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 69
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 3

Brief Summary

Nutritional status is a major issue in the management of cancer patients. Forty to 60% of patients are undernourished at diagnosis. This undernutrition has a direct impact on patients' health and quality of life, with a reduction in survival associated with an increase in the risk of toxicity from anti-cancer treatments (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery), the risk of infection and the risk of hospitalization. Thus, it is estimated that 10-20% of cancer patients die from the consequences of their undernutrition rather than from the tumor itself (Muscaritoli et al. 2021). It is therefore recommended to systematically implement a multimodal nutritional intervention in cancer patients (recommendations of the learned societies ESPEN, ESMO and ASCO), combining nutritional support (oral and/or enteral and/or parenteral) with physical exercise (Muscaritoli et al. 2021). However, despite the systematic provision of dietary management, the effectiveness of nutritional interventions varies from patient to patient in terms of nutritional status, quality of life and overall survival (Cintoni et al. 2023). Among the factors impacting patient compliance with dietary measures and their efficacy, sensory alterations occurring under chemotherapy potentially have a major impact (Drareni et al., 2019). Indeed, the vast majority of patients describe an alteration in tastes and smells after starting chemotherapy treatment. However, few studies have focused on the specific parameters associated with these alterations. The aim of this study is to prospectively assess changes in sensory perceptions and eating habits in patients undergoing chemotherapy for digestive cancer at the start of treatment and after the first cycle of chemotherapy, and to correlate these alterations with patients' nutritional profile and clinical course.

Conditions

Digestive Cancers

Keywords

digestive cancers; chemotherapy; food preference; sensory perceptions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Proportion of patient with changes in food preferences of digestive cancer patients at the end of the first cycle of chemotherapy.

  Proportion of patients with 'altered' food preferences at the end of the first cycle of chemotherapy, with alteration defined as a reported decrease in appreciation for at least 30% of foods compared to before chemotherapy initiation

  At two month (end of the first cycle of chemotherapy/immunotherapy)

Study Arms (2)

Patients with digestive cancer traited by chemotherapy

Patients with malignant digestive tumors receiving active chemotherapy

Other: Food preference

Patients with digestive cancer traited by immunotherapy

Patients with malignant digestive tumors receiving immunotherapy only

Other: Food preference

Interventions

Food preference OTHER

Evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on the dietary preferences of patients with digestive cancer using a dietary and quality-of-life questionnaire at the beginning, middle and end of the chemotherapy/immunotherapy treatment.

Patients with digestive cancer traited by chemotherapy; Patients with digestive cancer traited by immunotherapy

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with malignant digestive tumors receiving active chemotherapy

You may qualify if:

• Able to complete the proposed questionnaires
• Patients over 18 years of age
• Non-opposed patients
• Digestive cancers starting chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy
• Able to eat by mouth

You may not qualify if:

• Concomitant treatment for a non-digestive cancer (excluding basal/spinocellular carcinoma and chronic haemopathy)
• Previous ENT surgery (face/neck)
• Exclusive enteral feeding (nasogastric tube, gastrostomy) or parenteral nutrition
• Previous chemotherapy/immunotherapy \< 5 years
• Individuals deprived of liberty by a judicial or administrative decision

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hospices Civils de Lyon: lead

Study Sites (3)

Hôpital Edouard Herriot

Lyon, 69003, France

Location

Hôpital Croix Rousse

Lyon, 69004, France

Location

Hôpital Lyon Sud

Pierre-Bénite, 69495, France

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Food Preferences

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Digestive System Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Feeding Behavior; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 14, 2024
• First Posted: October 15, 2024
• Study Start: November 22, 2024
• Primary Completion: January 9, 2026
• Study Completion: January 9, 2026
• Last Updated: March 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (3)