The Development and Validation of a Novel Tool for the Assessment of Taste Disturbances in Patients With Advanced Cancer: Taste Questionnaire in Palliative Care
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Altered Taste
- Sponsor
- Prof Andrew Davies
- Enrollment
- 200
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- To develop a novel assessment tool to assess taste disturbances in patients with advanced cancer
- Status
- Recruiting
- Last Updated
- last year
Overview
Brief Summary
Taste problems are common among patients with advanced cancer. These symptoms can affect the pleasure of eating and drinking, reduce dietary intake, cause low mood, and a lower quality of life. There is no validated tool to assess taste disturbances and their impact on patients with advanced cancer. This study will develop and validate a novel assessment tool to assess taste disturbances and their impact on patients with advanced cancer.
Detailed Description
Patients with advanced cancer often develop taste disturbances. A recent literature review reported a median prevalence of 55%, with prevalence ranging from 27-93%. Studies have shown taste disturbance is usually a persistent symptom, is often 'moderate-to-severe' in intensity, and is often associated with significant distress. Taste disturbance may have a major impact on the experience and pleasure associated with eating and drinking. Taste disturbance may have a major impact on nutritional intake. It may be associated with low mood / depression, social isolation, and an impaired quality of life. The aforementioned literature review identified, importantly, that the terminology used in the published literature varied, which may have had an effect on the results obtained, especially prevalence statistics. The review identified the need for "development/validation studies of a taste-specific assessment tool for this group of patients - there is a need for a tool that not only assesses the problem but can also assess the response to treatment for the problem, utilising patient reported outcome measures."
Investigators
Prof Andrew Davies
Professor of Palliative Medicine
Our Lady's Hospice and Care Services
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •18 years of age Diagnosis of locally advanced or metastatic cancer Referred to palliative care/oncology services Taste problems rated 'moderate' or worse over previous 2-week period Good understanding of English
Exclusion Criteria
- •Cognitive impairment (unable to provide consent / complete questionnaire) Taste problems precedes cancer diagnosis. Head and neck surgery Head and neck radiotherapy Salivary gland disorders (e.g., Sjogren's Syndrome) In the 'Deteriorating' or 'Terminal' Phase of illness
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
To develop a novel assessment tool to assess taste disturbances in patients with advanced cancer
Time Frame: December 2025
To develop the Taste Questionnaire in Palliative Care (TQ-PAL) to assess taste disturbances and their impact on patients with palliative care. It's domains include the effect on food intake, social inclusion, and quality of life
To validate the newly developed Taste Questionnaire in Palliative Care (TQ-PAL)
Time Frame: December 2025
To test the TQ-PAL for face, content, construct, convergent and reliability validation.