The Association Between Vulnerability and Taste Changes in Older Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

This study aimed to examine the association between taste changes and vulnerability in elderly cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. A cross-sectional study was conducted among older cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in Wuxi, China. The Chemotherapy-induced Taste Alteration Scale (CiTAS) was used to measure taste alteration. The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES) was used to measure vulnerability status. The univariate, correlation, and hierarchical regression analyses were applied to assess the association between taste changes and vulnerability. Of 200 older cancer patients, 123 (61.5%) participants were non-vulnerable. The univariate analysis revealed significant distribution differences of vulnerability in education level, smell abnormalities, drinking history, chemotherapy cycle, and taste changes. The level of taste changes was positively correlated with vulnerability (r = 0.401, p < 0.01). Results of the regression analysis indicated that vulnerability in older cancer patients was significantly associated with higher odds of "phantogeusia and parageusia" (OR = 4.505, p < 0.001). Taste changes may be an important influencing factor of vulnerability in older cancer patients.