Taste and smell function in long-term survivors after childhood medulloblastoma/CNS-PNET

Purpose To investigate taste and smell function in survivors, with a minimum of 2 years since treatment of childhood medulloblastoma (MB)/central nervous system supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor (CNS-PNET). Methods This cross-sectional study included 40 survivors treated <= 20 years of age. Taste strips with four concentrations of sweet, sour, salt, and bitter were used to assess taste function in all participants. Score from 0 to 16; >= 9 normogeusia, < 9 hypogeusia, and complete ageusia which equals no sensation. No sensation of a specific taste quality equals ageusia of that quality. Thirty-two participants conducted smell testing using three subtests of Sniffin' sticks: threshold, discrimination, and identification. Together they yield a TDI-score from 1 to 48; functional anosmia <= 16.00, hyposmia > 16.00- < 30.75, normosmia >= 30.75- < 41.50, and >= 41.50 hyperosmia. Results were compared with normative data. Survivors rated their taste and smell function using a numerical rating scale (NRS) score 0-10. Results Forty survivors with a mean time since treatment of 20.5 years, 13 (32.5%) were diagnosed with hypogeusia, nine (22.5%) of these being ageusic to one or more taste qualities. Seventeen (53%) of 32 participants were diagnosed with hyposmia. The mean scores of the olfactory subtests, and TDI score were significantly lower than normative data (P <0.0001). The mean NRS scores of smell and taste function were 7.9 +/- 1.5 and 8 +/- 1.3, respectively. Conclusion Our study showed impaired taste and smell function in survivors of childhood MB/CNS-PNET using objective measurements. However, subjective ratings did not reflect objective findings.

Automated summary

This study investigated taste and smell function in survivors of childhood MB/CNS-PNET using objective measurements. The results showed impaired taste and smell function in some survivors, although subjective ratings did not reflect these objective findings.