Sensory Evaluation of Taste and Smell in Oncology (SENSEO)

Nutritional status is a major issue in the management of cancer patients. Forty to 60% of patients are undernourished at diagnosis. This undernutrition has a direct impact on patients' health and quality of life, with a reduction in survival associated with an increase in the risk of toxicity from anti-cancer treatments (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery), the risk of infection and the risk of hospitalization. Thus, it is estimated that 10-20% of cancer patients die from the consequences of their undernutrition rather than from the tumor itself (Muscaritoli et al. 2021).

It is therefore recommended to systematically implement a multimodal nutritional intervention in cancer patients (recommendations of the learned societies ESPEN, ESMO and ASCO), combining nutritional support (oral and/or enteral and/or parenteral) with physical exercise (Muscaritoli et al. 2021). However, despite the systematic provision of dietary management, the effectiveness of nutritional interventions varies from patient to patient in terms of nutritional status, quality of life and overall survival (Cintoni et al. 2023).

Among the factors impacting patient compliance with dietary measures and their efficacy, sensory alterations occurring under chemotherapy potentially have a major impact (Drareni et al., 2019).

Indeed, the vast majority of patients describe an alteration in tastes and smells after starting chemotherapy treatment. However, few studies have focused on the specific parameters associated with these alterations. The aim of this study is to prospectively assess changes in sensory perceptions and eating habits in patients undergoing chemotherapy for digestive cancer at the start of treatment and after the first cycle of chemotherapy, and to correlate these alterations with patients' nutritional profile and clinical course.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Digestive Cancers
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Food preference

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 69

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Lyon, France, 69003
    • Hôpital Edouard Herriot
  • Lyon, France, 69004
    • Hôpital Croix Rousse
  • Pierre-Bénite, France, 69495
    • Hôpital Lyon Sud

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with malignant digestive tumors receiving active chemotherapy

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Able to complete the proposed questionnaires
• Patients over 18 years of age
• Non-opposed patients
• Digestive cancers starting chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy
• Able to eat by mouth

Exclusion Criteria:

• Concomitant treatment for a non-digestive cancer (excluding basal/spinocellular carcinoma and chronic haemopathy)
• Previous ENT surgery (face/neck)
• Exclusive enteral feeding (nasogastric tube, gastrostomy) or parenteral nutrition
• Previous chemotherapy/immunotherapy < 5 years
• Individuals deprived of liberty by a judicial or administrative decision

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Patients with digestive cancer traited by chemotherapy; Patients with malignant digestive tumors receiving active chemotherapy	Other: Food preference; Evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on the dietary preferences of patients with digestive cancer using a dietary and quality-of-life questionnaire at the beginning, middle and end of the chemotherapy/immunotherapy treatment.
Patients with digestive cancer traited by immunotherapy; Patients with malignant digestive tumors receiving immunotherapy only	Other: Food preference; Evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on the dietary preferences of patients with digestive cancer using a dietary and quality-of-life questionnaire at the beginning, middle and end of the chemotherapy/immunotherapy treatment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of patient with changes in food preferences of digestive cancer patients at the end of the first cycle of chemotherapy.	Proportion of patients with 'altered' food preferences at the end of the first cycle of chemotherapy, with alteration defined as a reported decrease in appreciation for at least 30% of foods compared to before chemotherapy initiation	At two month (end of the first cycle of chemotherapy/immunotherapy)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 22, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 9, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): January 9, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 14, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 14, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): October 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 16, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 13, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: chemotherapy; food preference; sensory perceptions; digestive cancers
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Behavior; Feeding Behavior; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Food Preferences
• Other Study ID Numbers: 69HCL24_0728

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No