The TASTY-training Study

NCT07258589 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 20901
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 90
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 11

Brief Summary

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 and smell training. To examine the effect of at-home taste and smell training versus standard care on taste function and other outcome parameters, measurements will take place at baseline (before the training starts), and after 12 weeks. The intervention 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.

Conditions

Oncological Patients; Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor

Keywords

Taste alterations

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Taste function

  Taste function measured with taste strips at baseline and after week 12 weeks of taste and smell training compared with standard care

  12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Smell function

  12 weeks

• Food enjoyment in appetite, hunger and sensory perception

  12 weeks

• Health-related quality of life

  12 weeks

• Taste and smell alterations

  12 weeks

• Risk of malnutrition

  12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Taste and smell training

EXPERIMENTAL

To examine the effect of at-home taste and smell training versus standard care on taste function and other outcome parameters, measurements will take place at baseline (before the training starts), and after 12 weeks. The intervention will take place at home.

Behavioral: Taste and smell training

No intervention

NO INTERVENTION

Standard of care

Interventions

Taste and smell training BEHAVIORAL

To examine the effect of at-home taste and smell training versus standard care on taste function and other outcome parameters, measurements will take place at baseline (before the training starts), and after 12 weeks. The intervention 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.

Taste and smell training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age ≥18 and ≤70 years
• Intention of being treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors for next 12 weeks.
• Experiencing taste alterations after starting treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors
• Consuming solid foods and drinks is possible
• ≤50% of recommended daily intake in kcal consisting 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

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnancy
• History of taste, smell, or saliva production dysfunction before treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors
• 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)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Medical Center Groningen: lead

Study Sites (11)

Amsterdam UMC

Amsterdam, Netherlands

RECRUITING

Rijnstate Ziekenhuis

Arnhem, Netherlands

NOT YET RECRUITING

Van Weel-Bethesda Ziekenhuis

Dirksland, Netherlands

NOT YET RECRUITING

Ziekenhuisvoorzieningen Gelderse Vallei

Ede, Netherlands

RECRUITING

University Medical Center Groningen

Groningen, 9713 GZ, Netherlands

RECRUITING

Martini Ziekenhuis

Groningen, Netherlands

RECRUITING

Radboud University medical Center

Nijmegen, Netherlands

NOT YET RECRUITING

Ikazia Ziekenhuis

Rotterdam, Netherlands

RECRUITING

Ommelander Ziekenhuis Groningen

Scheemda, Netherlands

RECRUITING

Maxima Medisch Centrum

Veldhoven, Netherlands

NOT YET RECRUITING

Isala Klinieken

Zwolle, Netherlands

NOT YET RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Taste; Olfactory Training

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sensation; Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Therapeutics

Study Officials

• J. J.A. de Haan, MD, PhD

  University Medical Center Groningen

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

J. J.A. de Haan, MD, PhD

CONTACT

+31 50 361 2821; j.j.de.haan@umcg.nl

M. D. Douma

CONTACT

+31 50 361 4603; m.d.douma@umcg.nl

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: November 10, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2028
• Last Updated: July 15, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-11

Locations

NL (11)