Life satisfaction among cancer survivors with and without smell and taste dysfunction: evidence from the National...

Chemosensory dysfunction is a common symptom experienced by cancer patients. Albeit common, these symptoms lack guidelines for management and are rarely addressed by healthcare providers, and therefore, how taste and smell dysfunctions affect quality of life in cancer patients is understudied.

To address this gap, we analyzed data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to assess associations between smell and taste dysfunction and life satisfaction among adults who self-reported cancer (N = 3327; age range:18-85+ years; 57% F; 85% Non-Hispanic white). Participants reported whether they experienced difficulty tasting, difficulty smelling, and whether they were satisfied with life (binary) in the past 12 months.

Among respondents, 14% reported taste dysfunction (N = 456) and 22% reported smell dysfunction (N = 736), and 10.1% reported both smell and taste dysfunction (N = 340). After adjusting for age and sex, a logistic regression revealed that cancer patients reporting difficulty tasting had 61% lower odds of reporting life satisfaction compared to those who did not report difficulty tasting (OR = 0.39, p < 0.0001, CI [.27,.58]). Similarly, cancer patients reporting difficulty smelling had 40% lower odds of reporting life satisfaction compared to those who did not report trouble smelling (OR = 0.60, p = 0.006, CI [.42,.86]). Considering that the prevalence of chemosensory dysfunction is often underestimated when measured with self-reports, these findings likely represent a conservative estimate of the impact on subjective wellbeing in cancer.

These results underscore the relevance of assessing chemosensory symptoms in cancer populations. Routine evaluation of smell and taste loss may offer a valuable opportunity to improve quality of life and guide supportive care.