Study design
This descriptive study with an intervention and control group is a first phase pilot study of a complex intervention and was conducted similar in two outpatient chemotherapy units, one in a large university hospital and another in a regional hospital, both located in Belgium.
Patients
Adult cancer outpatients were considered eligible if they reported taste disturbances after receiving at least once intravenous chemotherapy, and if they were willing to give written informed consent. The type of cancer or chemotherapy was not an exclusion or inclusion criterion. However, patients suffering head- neck cancer, mucositis grade 2, chewing- and swallowing problems and patients receiving a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy were excluded in order to avoid bias in food intake. Data regarding patient characteristics were obtained with a structured identification form and from patients’ medical records.
Sample size
This trial is a pilot study primarily intended to test the feasibility of an innovative and patient centered intervention in the home setting and to determine whether personalized bread is actually perceived as tasty despite the chemotherapy-induced taste problems. For statistical analysis to be meaningful the minimum pilot trial sample size was set at 30 participants in each group.
Chemotherapy induced taste disturbances
The Chemotherapy-induced Taste Alteration Scale (CiTAS) enables valid, reliable measurement of specific symptoms of chemotherapy-induced taste alterations. CiTAS is a 5-point Likert-type scale with 18 items and 4 subscales, that was first developed by Kano and Kanda [19].
- 1st Subscale (2nd–6th items) Decline in Basic Taste: The condition of sensing the bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and umami taste by individuals is assessed.
- 2nd Subscale (13th–18th items) Discomfort: The relationship between taste alterations and nausea-vomiting, experiencing alterations in the sense of smell, having difficulty eating hot/oily/meat, and reduced appetite is assessed.
- 3rd Subscale (10th–12th items) Phantogeusia and Parageusia: The condition of individuals based on their experiences of phantogeusia and parageusia are assessed.
- 4th Subscale (1st, 7th–9th items) General taste alterations: The condition of individuals regarding their experiences of ageusia, cacogeusia, and hypogeusia is assessed.
For the assessment of the scale, scores received from each subscale are evaluated rather than the total score received from the entire scale [19]. The subscale scores are obtained by dividing the number of the items into the sum of scores of those items. The maximum score is 5 points, whereas the minimum score is 1 point that can be received from subscales. The increase in the score shows that the intensity of taste alterations and discomfort are also increased. The CiTAS may also help evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the symptoms of taste alterations.
Individual food hedonics profile
To assess food hedonics in all individual participants the ‘O-box’ was introduced (see figure 1). The O-box, in which the ‘O’ stands for ‘Oncology’, is developed by the Center for Gastrology, a non for profit organization founded in February 2011 and located in Leuven (Belgium) www.centerforgastrology.com/en/intro.
This box contains 21 small bottles each containing natural food products (see table 1), some prepared in a paste others in a liquid form, all in a well-defined and reproducible concentration. These food products can be used in a multitude of concentrations and combinations. It also contains a larger bottle with a neutral yogurt dressing. Before starting the assessment any food allergies are checked. Possible allergens present in the O-box products are marked in table 1. A full assessment using the O-box can be completed at patient’s bedside by trained chefs gastro-engineering, nurses, dieticians or other healthcare workers. To avoid inter rater variations, all food hedonics assessments in this study were executed by one and the same trained member of staff. If the patients’ taste perception changes after the initial O-box assessment with a negative influence on food intake and the gastrological intervention, a new assessment should be performed. The O-box assessment comprises three steps:
- Step 1: the food hedonics of 13 different food products (see table 1) are examined. Each of these products is stimulating the trigeminal system in particular. With a stirrer, the researcher offers a little amount of each of the 13 products to the patient. The patient than indicates whether or not he/she likes it (yes or no).
- Step 2: the food products, approved by the patient in step 1, are now combined with the five basic tastes and in increasing concentrations: sweet, sour, bitter, salt and umami. The patient again indicates the preferred combinations and concentrations.
- Step 3: finally, the preferred combinations in step 2 are now combined with a standard dose (two drops) of three steering products.
Table 1: Overview of the food products and allergens present in the O-Box
The O-Box
|
|
|
|
Gluten
|
crustaceans
|
molluscs
|
Eggs
|
Peanuts
|
Fish
|
Soya
|
Milk
|
Nuts
|
Sesame
|
Sulfite
|
celery
|
mustard
|
lupine
|
Step 1
|
1
|
Green pepper, black pepper pink pepper, vegetable oil (palm), …
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
2
|
Ginger, garlic, basil, lemongrass, cayenne …
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
3
|
Cayenne pepper, citrus fiber, smoked chili pepper…
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
4
|
Caraway; pepper; coriander; garlic; cumin…
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
5
|
Eucalyptus oil
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
6
|
Ginger, vegetable oil (palm),…
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
7
|
Sunflower oil, garlic,
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
8
|
Horseradish, sunflower oil, …
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
9
|
Mustard seeds, vinegar…
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
10
|
Menthol oil
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
11
|
Tomato puree ,basil, oregano; rosemary; fennel seed, garlic, …
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
12
|
Shallot, sunflower oil,..
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
13
|
Thyme, sunflower oil, …
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
Step 2
|
14
|
Water, herbs, natural aromas,… …
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
15
|
Concentrated beef broth, yeast extract, concentrated onion juice,…
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
16
|
Citric acid 150mg / 15ml
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
17
|
Sodium Chloridum 9mg / ml
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
18
|
Sugarcane syrup, water,…
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
Step 3
|
19
|
Sunflower oil, white wine vinegar, water, sugar, acacia honey, …
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
20
|
Sunflower oil, wine vinegar flavored with basil, basilextract, ginger paprika; jalapeno pepper red paprika,…
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
21
|
Sunflower oil, red wine vinegar acacia honey, red concentrated shallots juice, concentrated grape juice, …
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
mouthwash
|
Yogurt dressing
|
Thermally treated fermented milk, water, sunflower oil, vinegar, yogurt,…
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
¨
|
It is very important and necessary that in between each food product used in all three steps of the O-box assessment the patient rinses his/her mouth with the provided neutral yogurt dressing. Also, in every assessment the three steps and the food products concerned should be used in the same order. Once all data are completed in a for this purpose designed electronic system, a visual dashboard shows the results of the individual O-box assessment. By using an algorithm it is possible for chefs with a proficiency in gastro-engineering, to compose hyper personalized recipes.
An O-Box assessment also includes a survey of imposed diets, likes and dislikes of food or food components and also in which stores the patient usually purchases food. This additional information is important to optimally personalize recipes as well as to advise patients on the purchase of prescribed ingredients in the stores they already know. This approach guarantees optimal patient-centered care. In this pilot we decided to tailor only the taste of bread.
Intervention
The intervention in this study involves baking hyper personalized bread at home. The recipe of this bread is based on the individual taste preference profile (O-box assessment) as disturbed by chemotherapy. This individual profile determines which food ingredients, and to what amount, should be added to the dough. These additives ensure that the individual gustatory, olfactory and trigeminal system are selectively and sufficiently stimulated so that food, in this case bread, tastes as good as it did before the start of the chemotherapy.
Treatment allocation was based on patients’ preferences: all included patients and their family caregiver, in most of the times their partner, were asked if they were willing and able to bake bread at home, at least for the duration of this trial (1 month). If yes, they received a single-bread oven, type Domo B3970 to use at home. If not, they were assigned to the control group, and had to eat bread from their local shop, as usual. Patients in the intervention group received a personalized recipe based on the results of the O-box assessment. All recipes were delivered online within 24 hours after the O-box assessment. In case of any question or doubt, patients or their family caregiver were able to contact a helpline either by telephone or by email during the 1 month follow up period. Patients in the intervention group who definitely stopped the baking of personalized bread, for whatever reason, were relocated to the control group.
Outcome measures
Primary outcome measure of the intervention is the tastefulness of the personalized bread as it is reported once a week, during one month after the start of the intervention. This measure only apply to all patients of the intervention group. All patients in the control group were not exposed to an intervention and eat bread from their local bakery as usual. Body weight, body mass index and CiTAS-scores are compared with the baseline measurement after one month in both groups.
ETHICAL APPROVAL
This study was approved by the Antwerp University Bioethical Committee (Decision No. B300201731261). All participants signed informed consent.
STATISTICAL ANALYSES
The data obtained were analyzed by SPSS 20 (SPSS Inc., Chicago IL, USA) software package. Descriptive statistics reported as means and standard deviations for continuous variables and as numbers and proportions for dichotomous variables. To compare means and differences between groups paired T-tests were used. Differences were judged to be statistically significant when the P value was ≤ 0.05.