Brochure intervention to manage bothersome taste changes in pediatric patients receiving cancer therapy.

BACKGROUND: Primary objective was to determine if a patient informational brochure describing potentially useful strategies could help manage specific taste changes. Secondary objective was to describe the specific strategies used and whether the strategies were perceived as being helpful. PROCEDURE: This single-center study included pediatric patients with cancer or hematopoietic cell transplant recipients receiving active treatment who experienced bothersome taste changes in the last month. Participants participated in baseline and follow-up interviews conducted 14-21 days apart. A brochure that listed 16 potentially helpful strategies was provided at baseline. At follow-up, we asked about brochure use and whether it helped. At both interviews, we asked about experienced taste changes, strategies used, and whether strategy helped. RESULTS: Of 100 enrolled participants, different (87%) and bad (72%) taste were most common at baseline. Following the brochure intervention, statistically significant reductions were observed in food tasting different, bad, bland, bitter, sour, and metallic. For most strategies, the proportion of patients who used specific strategies or found them helpful was not significantly different between baseline and follow-up. However, "eating foods you like" was considered helpful in significantly more participants who used the strategy in follow-up (72 out of 89, 80.9%) compared with baseline (55 out of 95, 57.9%; p = .008). Between visits, 81.2% looked at the brochure. Among participants, 53.1% found the brochure helpful, very helpful, or extremely helpful. CONCLUSIONS: A brochure that offered strategies to manage changes in taste helped participants cope with them. Further research should evaluate the brochure using randomized and multicenter trials.

Severe hypoglycaemia in paediatric oncology: characterisation and risk factors.

OBJECTIVES: Primary objective was to describe the cumulative incidence of severe hypoglycaemia in paediatric patients with cancer. Secondary objectives were to determine risk factors for severe hypoglycaemia and to describe its clinical course and management. METHODS: In this single institution retrospective study, for the cumulative incidence cohort, we included cancer diagnosis and hypoglycaemia episodes between June 2018 and November 2021. For the chart review cohort, we included cancer diagnosis January 2009-November 2021 and hypoglycaemia episodes June 2018-November 2021. RESULTS: There were 1237 cancer diagnoses and 142 patients with severe hypoglycaemia in the cumulative incidence cohort. Cumulative incidence at 6 months after cancer diagnosis was 9.4% (95% CI 7.7% to 11.0%). Severe hypoglycaemia incidence significantly increased over time (r=0.77, p=0.004). Independent risk factors were age at diagnosis (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.91); acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (HR 3.06, 95% CI 2.19 to 4.29) and relapse (HR 9.54, 95% CI 3.83 to 23.76). There were 4672 cancer diagnoses and 267 episodes of severe hypoglycaemia in the chart review cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The cumulative incidence of severe hypoglycaemia 6 months after cancer diagnosis was 9.4%. Severe hypoglycaemia increased over time. Younger patients, those with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and those with a history of disease relapse, were at higher risk of severe hypoglycaemia.

Describing taste changes and their potential impacts on paediatric patients receiving cancer treatments.

OBJECTIVES: Taste changes are common among paediatric patients receiving cancer treatments although specific descriptions and associations are uncertain. Primary objective was to describe the number of paediatric patients receiving cancer therapies who experienced taste changes, its impact on food intake and enjoyment of eating, and coping strategies. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that included English-speaking paediatric patients aged 4-18 years with a diagnosis of cancer or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients receiving active treatment. Using a structured interview, we asked participants about their experience with taste changes, impacts and coping strategies. The respondent was the paediatric patient. RESULTS: We enrolled 108 patients; median age was 11 years (IQR 8-15). The taste changes reported yesterday or today were food tasting bland (34%), bad (31%), different (27%), bitter (25%), extreme (19%), metallic (15%) or sour (12%). Taste changes were associated with decreased food intake (31%) and decreased enjoyment in eating (25%) yesterday or today. The most common coping strategies were eating food they liked (42%), eating strong-tasting food (39%), drinking liquids (35%), brushing teeth (31%) and sucking on candy (25%). Factors significantly associated with food tasting bad were as follows: older age (p=0.003), shorter time since cancer diagnosis (p=0.027), nausea and vomiting (p=0.008) and mucositis (p=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Among paediatric patients receiving cancer treatments, taste changes were common and were associated with decreased food intake and enjoyment in eating. Common coping strategies were described. Reducing nausea, vomiting and mucositis may improve taste changes.