ACS: Cancer Patients' Loss Of Taste, Smell Can Compromise Treatment Success SARASOTA, FL -- April 25, 2002 Cancer patients who experience taste and smell loss because of the disease and its treatments are at high risk for weight loss and nutritional deficits that can compromise their overall treatment success, according to a small study of 33 lung cancer patients at Duke University Medical Center. While not all cancer patients lose weight with the disease, those who do so tend to have a poorer prognosis for treatment outcome and long-term survival, said Jennifer Garst, M.D., a study author and assistant professor of oncology at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. Thus, finding ways to prevent weight loss and nutritional deficits is critical to helping patients respond more effectively to treatments and even live longer, she said. The scientists are now continuing the study to explore the whether the addition of flavor-enhancing powders, derived from actual foods such as cheese, bacon, garlic and fruits, can improve the patients' appetite. Results of the study are being presented at the annual Association of Chemoreception Sciences by the study's co-author, Susan Schiffman, Ph.D., on April 25. Jennifer Zervakis, Ph.D. and Lara Campagna are also authors of the study, funded by the National Institute on Aging. "Weight loss has long been a hallmark of cancer, but it has been considered an inevitable by product of the disease process and chemotherapy drugs, rather than as a treatable symptom that can affect outcomes," said Dr. Schiffman, professor of medical psychology at Duke. "If we can show that taste and smell deficits are responsible for the weight loss in a specific population of patients, then we can intervene and potentially improve patient outcomes. [04/25/2002; Doctor's Guide] Ann's NOTE: Juicing should be considered. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.