Photobiomodulation for radiotherapy-induced dysgeusia in head and neck cancer patients: a pilot randomized clinical trial.
Priscilla Parente Viana, Flávia Carvalho Pinto, Victor Bento Oliveira et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This pilot randomized clinical trial compared photobiomodulation (PBM) with zinc sulfate for radiotherapy-induced dysgeusia in 16 patients with head and neck cancer. Taste identification was assessed before radiotherapy and at the 15th and 30th sessions. At the 30th session, PBM recipients had higher reported preservation of bitter, sour, and salty taste than zinc recipients, while sweet taste preservation was higher with zinc. Between-group differences were not statistically significant at any assessment (all p > 0.05), so the findings are preliminary and do not establish comparative benefit.
Key findings
- At the 30th radiotherapy session, bitter taste was preserved in 87.5% with PBM and 75.0% with zinc sulfate.
- Sour taste was preserved in 87.5% with PBM versus 62.5% with zinc; salty taste in 50.0% versus 25.0%.
- Sweet taste was correctly identified by 50.0% in the PBM group and 75.0% in the zinc group at the 30th session.
- No statistically significant between-group differences were observed at baseline, the 15th session, or the 30th session (all p > 0.05).
Why it matters
Taste disturbance during head and neck radiotherapy can affect nutritional status and quality of life. This small randomized comparison provides preliminary data on taste outcomes with PBM versus zinc sulfate, but the absence of statistically significant group differences means the observed patterns should be interpreted cautiously rather than as evidence of established efficacy.
What to keep in mind
The pilot trial included only 16 patients, with eight assigned to each group; no statistically significant between-group differences were found.