For example, flavour problems are usually worse in the first week after chemotherapy and then gradually improve. If you have chemotherapy, you might notice that symptoms change during the course of a single treatment cycle. Your doctor will be able to tell you how long your senses are likely to be affected. Most changes will get better with time, but this depends on what type of treatment you have and where the cancer is in your body. Taste and smell changes The sense of taste The actual taste or smell of food doesn’t change, but you may find that food you usually like may not taste the same due to a change in your environment. How you feel, when you eat or where you eat, such as in hospital, can also affect how you feel about the food you are eating. This can cause mouth ulcers that may increase your sensitivity to hot, cold, salty, spicy or acidic foods and drinks. Some treatments may also cause mucositis, which damages the cells that line your mouth and gut. Having a dry mouth over a long period of time can also result in mouth infections or tooth decay, which can cause further problems with taste, smell or feeling. As saliva helps tastebuds to recognise flavours, a dry mouth may affect your sense of taste. Surgery – surgery to the mouth and nose area may affect parts of the tongue, nose or salivary glands.Ĭhemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery may also reduce the amount of saliva your body produces and make your mouth dry.Radiation therapy – radiation to the head or neck area can damage tastebuds and salivary glands.Chemotherapy – may damage healthy cells such as tastebuds, and affect nerve endings, changing the way you feel hot and cold foods in your mouth.Treatment can also affect the senses and damage nerves that send signals to the brain, causing changes during and after treatment. The cancer can affect your senses, causing changes before treatment begins. You may notice changes to your senses before, during or after treatment. We taste, smell and touch food when signals are sent from the mouth or nose to the brain. The senses of taste, smell and touch (the way food feels in your mouth) all work together to enable you to experience flavour. This may lead to malnutrition, which can result in increased side effects from treatment and loss of muscle strength. This can affect what foods you are able to eat and enjoy eating, and may contribute to a loss of appetite and weight loss.
Changes to the taste, smell or feeling of food are a common side effect for people before, during and after cancer treatment.
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