TASCC Study

Understanding the perception of Taste and Smell in Cancer Cachexia

We will study changes in taste and smell in people living with cancer who have not started any treatment yet and compare them with healthy volunteers. The goal is to understand how sensory changes affect appetite, eating habits, and risk of poor nutrition in cancer-related weight loss (cachexia). We hope to find simple ways to identify people at risk early.

The study involves:

• Completing an electronic record of dietary intake
• Taste testing using Impregnated Taste Strips (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami) and evaluating twelve different smells from daily experience
• Self-reported questionnaires assessing the extent of taste and smell perception, changes in food preferences and nutritional intake since cancer diagnosis
• A dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) body scan of fat and lean body mass
• Blood sample (20ml/ approximately four teaspoons) for measurements of circulatory factors relevant to body weight, body composition and metabolism

How long will it take?

A single morning visit lasting approximately 3 hours

Status: Open to recruitment.

To join this research study, you must:

• Be a healthy volunteer
• Be aged 18 years or older
• Not have or be recovering from any form of cancer
• Non-smoker or stopped smoking at least 3 months ago
• No unintentional weight loss or not on medication affecting the body weight

OR

• Be living with cancer
• Be aged 18 years or older
• Non-smoker or stopped smoking at least 3 months ago
• Confirmed diagnosis of non-hematological cancer who has not started active anticancer treatment

Location: Cambridge Clinical Research Centre on Keith Day Road, next to the Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre, and part of the Cambridge Biomedical Centre.

Find out more
Email: Su Lei Yin 

Summary Sheet: Participant Information Sheet