• Wendy V Wismer.
• Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, Agriculture/Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Wendy.Wismer@ualberta.ca
• Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2008 Dec 1; 2 (4): 282-7.

Purpose Of ReviewAs the discipline of supportive and palliative cancer care grows, there is increasing acknowledgement of taste and smell alterations (TSAs) as barriers to nutrient intake and detriments to the food-related quality of life and well being of the population. The focus of this brief review is to summarize the recent advances regarding the cause and nature of TSAs and patients' perceptions of TSAs and to identify promising approaches for the alleviation of TSAs.Recent FindingsIndividual variations in the nature of TSAs exist and chemosensory changes have been established as an important quality of life issue associated with prognosis. The development and partial recovery of radiation therapy induced TSAs have been observed in longitudinal studies. Flavor enhancement has been found to improve patient-reported taste and smell capabilities. Patient-reported tools and qualitative methodologies have provided insight into the impact of TSAs on food-related quality of life and have been used with clinical measures to relate patient's perception to objective outcomes.SummaryA variety of approaches to the assessment of TSAs continue to generate a description of the development, duration and recovery of distorted chemosensory perception in cancer patients. Attention to individual variation in the nature and severity of TSAs as well as nutritional support and focus on flavorful foods can enhance patients' well being and food-related quality of life.

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