Clinical Observation Of The Taste Alteration During Postoperation Radiotherapy In Patients With Advanced Laryngeal Cancer

Objective To test and evaluate the taste alteration duringpostoperation radiotherapy in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer,and find the reasons of it. The results of electrogustometry wascompared with forced choice-three stimulus drop technique. The aimis to summary feasible methods to prevent and cure the dysgeusiaduring radiotherapy. Methods The taste threshold of 30 patients withadvanced laryngeal cancer and 30 controls was tested usingelectrogustometer and forced choice-three stimulus drop technique.After that, the taste threshold before radiotherapy was compared withcontrol. The taste thresholds of the patients in different radiotherapyphase was also contrasted. Results 1. The taste threshold of thepatients with advanced laryngeal cancer decreased slightly beforeradiotherapy. 2. During the radiotherapy, the patients' gustatory sensewas impairment. With the increasing of accumulated dose, the curve ofthe taste threshold have a S-shaped ascendant tendency. 3. In the fourbasic taste sensations, damages to bitter and salty were more seriouslyand early than sour and sweet. 4. Questionnaire results showed thatxerostomia, pharyngodynia, dysgeusia and anepithymia wereaggravated progressively during radiotherapy 5. For the postoperative patients with advanced laryngeal cancer, there wascorrelation between electrical stimulating and chemical stimulatingmothod. Conclusion 1. The gustatory sense of the postoperativepatients with advanced laryngeal cancer have been damaged beforeradiotherapy. 2.The radiation damage to taste is in relation to its dose.The loss is especially serious when radiation accumulated to10Gy-40Gy. 3. The four basic taste sensations had different radiationsensitivity. Among them, bitter and salty are higher than sour andsweet. 4. For the postoperative patients with advanced laryngeal cancer,xerostomia, pharyngodynia, dysgeusia and anepithymia areprogressively aggravated during radiotherapy. 5. Electric-Tastethreshold could not directly reflect the four basic taste thresholds, butthere is some correlation between electric-taste and the four basicsenses. Electric-taste can reflect the downward tendency of total-taste.6. It should be paled more attention to the taste alteration duringpostoperation radiotherapy in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer.More preventive and therapeutic measure should be adopted toimprove the quality of life in the patients with advanced laryngealcancer.