The TASTY-steering Study
TASTY-steering
Taste Steering in Patients With Cancer Who Are Treated With Chemotherapy: a Multicentre Randomized Intervention Trial
1 other identifier
interventional
201
1 country
11
Brief Summary
This is a multicentre non-blinded randomised intervention trial with a parallel cluster design. The multicentre study will be performed at 12 hospitals in the Netherlands. A parallel cluster design per hospital was selected to prevent contact between participants in the same hospital who are randomised into different study arms. Such contact may result in bias as it may allow for patients in the control arm to be informed about elements of taste steering. To examine the effect of at-home taste steering versus standard care on food enjoyment, the obtained results and outcomes will be measured 1) at baseline before chemotherapy is started, 2) at week 0 when taste or smell alterations occur, and 3) after 6 weeks. The taste steering will take place at home. The control group will receive usual care. Questionnaires will be filled in online at home, while taste and smell tests and saliva collection will be conducted either at home or in the hospital during regular visits. Patients in both study arms are contacted by their dietitian every 3 weeks. Some hospitals have implemented elements of taste steering. However, these elements are focused on patients who are admitted to the hospital, and therefore only interfere to a limited extent with the present study that is directed at patients managing their taste alterations at home. Experience with the Smaakpupil tool indicates that the algorithm reaches saturation after 3-4 weeks. Therefore, an intervention period of 6 weeks has been selected.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Jun 2025
Typical duration for not_applicable
11 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
June 6, 2025
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
November 20, 2025
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
December 2, 2025
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
July 1, 2028
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
July 1, 2028
July 15, 2026
September 1, 2025
3.1 years
November 20, 2025
July 13, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Food enjoyment in appetite, hunger and sensory perception
Food enjoyment, measured by the subsection of the Appetite, Hunger and Sensory Perception Questionnaire (AHSP) after 6 weeks of taste steering compared with standard care. The AHSP uses a 5-point Likert scale (1-5), with higher scores indicating greater appetite, hunger, or sensory changes.
6 weeks
Secondary Outcomes (8)
Food enjoyment and liking
6 weeks
Health-related quality of life
6 weeks
Taste and smell alterations
6 weeks
Risk of malnutrition
6 weeks
Dry mouth feeling
6 weeks
- +3 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (2)
Taste steering
EXPERIMENTALTo examine the effect of at-home taste steering versus standard care on food enjoyment, the obtained results and outcomes will be measured 1) at baseline before chemotherapy is started, 2) at week 0 when taste or smell alterations occur, and 3) after 6 weeks. The taste steering will take place at home.
No intervention
NO INTERVENTIONstandard of care
Interventions
To examine the effect of at-home taste steering versus standard care on food enjoyment, the obtained results and outcomes will be measured 1) at baseline before chemotherapy is started, 2) at week 0 when taste or smell alterations occur, and 3) after 6 weeks. The taste steering will take place at home. The control group will receive usual care. Questionnaires will be filled in online at home, while taste and smell tests and saliva collection will be conducted either at home or in the hospital during regular visits. Patients in both study arms are contacted by their dietitian every 3 weeks.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Age ≥18 and ≤70 years
- Indication to start chemotherapy for:
- Metastatic triple negative breast cancer
- Metastatic testicular cancer
- Stage II-IV diffuse large B cell lymphoma
- Chemotherapy scheduled to start in the next 6 weeks
- Consuming solid foods and drinks is possible
- ≤50% of recommended daily intake in kcal consists of oral nutritional supplements
- Oral mucositis grade ≤2 (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 5.0)
- Ability to comply with all protocol-required actions
- Written informed consent
- For the intervention phase only: subjective change in taste since start of chemotherapy
You may not qualify if:
- Pregnancy
- Currently experiencing taste or smell problems
- Previous or current radiotherapy of head and neck region
- Enteral feeding through tube or parenteral feeding
- Participation in another clinical trial aimed at preventing or treating taste and/or smell alterations
- Chronic (\>1 month) high dose corticosteroids (\>10 mg prednisone/day or equivalent).
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (11)
Amsterdam UMC
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Rijnstate Ziekenhuis
Arnhem, Netherlands
Van Weel-Bethesda Ziekenhuis
Dirksland, Netherlands
Ziekenhuisvoorzieningen Gelderse Vallei
Ede, Netherlands
University Medical Center Groningen
Groningen, 9713 GZ, Netherlands
Martini Ziekenhuis
Groningen, Netherlands
Radboud University Medical Center
Nijmegen, Netherlands
Ikazia Ziekenhuis
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Ommelander Ziekenhuis Groningen
Scheemda, Netherlands
Maxima Medisch Centrum
Veldhoven, Netherlands
Isala Klinieken
Zwolle, Netherlands
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
J. J. de Haan, MD, PhD
University Medical Center Groningen, Dept. of Medical Oncology
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- DIAGNOSTIC
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
November 20, 2025
First Posted
December 2, 2025
Study Start
June 6, 2025
Primary Completion (Estimated)
July 1, 2028
Study Completion (Estimated)
July 1, 2028
Last Updated
July 15, 2026
Record last verified: 2025-09