Nurse-Led Self-Management Program on Taste Alteration in Women With Breast Cancer

June 25, 2026 updated by: Pinar Zorba Bahceli, PhD RN, Izmir Bakircay University

The Effect of a Nurse-Led Self-Management Program on Taste Alteration, Nutritional Status, and Quality of Life in Women With Breast Cancer Receiving Taxane-Based Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Taste alteration is a common and distressing symptom experienced by women with breast cancer receiving taxane-based chemotherapy. This symptom may negatively affect food intake, nutritional status, psychological well-being, and quality of life. Although several approaches have been suggested for the management of chemotherapy-related taste alteration, evidence regarding structured nurse-led self-management interventions in this patient group remains limited.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This parallel group randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of a nurse-led self-management program on taste alteration, nutritional status, and quality of life in women with breast cancer receiving taxane-based chemotherapy. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive a nurse-led self-management program in addition to routine care, while participants in the control group will receive routine care alone. The program is designed to support participants in recognizing, monitoring, and managing taste alteration and related nutritional problems during chemotherapy.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

68

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Izmir, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Recruiting
        • Izmir Provincal Health Directorate Izmir City Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Literate
  • Diagnosed with breast cancer
  • Receiving taxane-based chemotherapy
  • Having a score of 1 or 2 for taste alteration according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 (CTCAE v4.0) after the first cycle of chemotherapy
  • Willing to participate in the study and providing written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having any communication barrier that prevents participation in the study
  • Having a diagnosed psychiatric disorder
  • Receiving radiotherapy
  • Having metastasis
  • Having a diagnosed physical disease that may affect food intake, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease
  • Receiving enteral or parenteral nutrition support

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Nurse-led Self-Management Group
Participants in this group will receive a nurse-led self-management program in addition to usual care. The program is designed to support women with breast cancer receiving taxane-based chemotherapy in recognizing, monitoring, and managing taste alteration and related nutritional problems. The intervention will include education, symptom monitoring, self-management strategies, and nurse-led supportive guidance to improve taste alteration, nutritional status, and quality of life during chemotherapy.
Behavioral: Nurse-led Self-Management Program
This 8-week nurse-led self-management program is a behavioral supportive care intervention designed specifically for women with breast cancer receiving taxane-based chemotherapy. The program focuses on the self-management of taxane-related taste alteration and associated nutritional problems. It includes structured nurse-led education, regular assessment of taste-related symptoms, self-monitoring of taste changes and food-related difficulties, individualized counseling, goal setting, problem-solving support, and practical strategies to maintain food intake and quality of life during chemotherapy. The intervention is delivered in addition to routine care and differs from general chemotherapy education by specifically integrating taste alteration management, nutritional self-management, and nurse-led follow-up within a structured 8-week program.
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants in this group will receive routine care provided during taxane-based chemotherapy. They will not receive the nurse-led self-management program during the study period. Outcome assessments will be performed according to the same schedule as the intervention group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Chemotherapy-Induced Taste Alteration Scale Score
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Taste alteration will be assessed using the Chemotherapy-Induced Taste Alteration Scale (CiTAS). The scale includes 18 items and four subdomains: decline in basic taste, discomfort, phantogeusia and parageusia, and general taste alterations. Scores range from 1 to 5 for each item or subdomain, with higher scores indicating greater taste alteration and taste-related discomfort. Change in CiTAS scores across baseline, Week 5, and Week 9 will be evaluated.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Change in Nutritional Risk Score
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Nutritional risk will be assessed using the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002) form. The NRS-2002 evaluates nutritional status and disease severity, with an additional age-related score for participants aged 70 years or older. A total score of 3 or higher indicates nutritional risk or malnutrition risk. Change in NRS-2002 scores across baseline, Week 5, and Week 9 will be evaluated.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Change in Quality of Life Score
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Quality of life will be assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30, version 3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30 v3.0). The questionnaire includes global health status, functional status, and symptom status domains. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale according to the EORTC scoring manual. Higher scores for global health status and functional status indicate better quality of life, whereas higher symptom scores indicate greater symptom burden. Change in EORTC QLQ-C30 scores across baseline, Week 5, and Week 9 will be evaluated.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Red Blood Cell Count
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Red blood cell count will be assessed using routine hematological laboratory test results. The outcome will be reported as 10⁶ cells/µL.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Change in Hemoglobin Level
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Hemoglobin level will be assessed using routine hematological laboratory test results. The outcome will be reported as g/dL.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Change in Hematocrit Level
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Hematocrit level will be assessed using routine hematological laboratory test results. The outcome will be reported as a percentage.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Change in Serum Albumin Level
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Serum albumin level will be assessed using routine biochemical laboratory test results. The outcome will be reported as g/dL.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Change in Serum Prealbumin Level
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Serum prealbumin level will be assessed using routine biochemical laboratory test results. The outcome will be reported as mg/dL.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Change in Serum Transferrin Level
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Serum transferrin level will be assessed using routine biochemical laboratory test results. The outcome will be reported as mg/dL.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Change in Total Cholesterol Level
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Total cholesterol level will be assessed using routine biochemical laboratory test results. The outcome will be reported as mg/dL.
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Change in Body Mass Index
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9
Body mass index will be calculated as body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. The outcome will be reported as kg/m².
Baseline, Week 5, and Week 9

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Izmir Bakircay University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 16, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 19, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 24, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 19, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 26, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 25, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2025/3

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

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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