Background/Objectives: Dysgeusia contributes to the derangement of nutritional status in patients with cancer as well as worsening the quality of life. There has been a lack of effective treatments for taste disorders provided by the pharmaceutical industry. Methods: This was a pilot randomized, parallel, triple-blind, and placebo-controlled intervention clinical trial in which 31 malnourished patients with cancer and dysgeusia receiving antineoplastic treatment were randomized into three arms [standard dose of DMB (150 mg DMB/tablet), high dose of DMB (300 mg DMB/tablet) or placebo (300 mg freeze-dried strawberry)] for three months. Patients consumed a DMB or placebo tablet before each main meal. Using the nanopore methodology, we analyzed the oral microbiome of patients with cancer using saliva samples. Results: All patients with cancer and dysgeusia had dysbiosis in terms of lower bacterial diversity and richness. DMB consumption was associated with changes in oral microbiome composition. Neither selected bacteria nor taste perception, type of diet, and cytokine levels were associated with mucositis. Likewise, alcohol and tobacco consumption as well as general and digestive toxicity due to systemic therapy were not associated with specific changes of the oral microbiome, according to logistic binary regression. The standard dose of DMB resulted in a lower abundance ofVeillonellacompared with the high DMB dose and placebo at 3 months after intervention with DMB. In particular, some species such asStreptococcus parasanguinis,Veillonella parvula, andStreptococcus mutanswere less abundant in the DMB standard-dose group. Additionally, the consumption of a standard dose of DMB revealed a negative association between the concentrations of TNF-α and the abundance of species such asStreptococcus thermophilus,Streptococcus pneumoniae,Streptococcus dysgalactiaeandStreptococcus agalactiae. Conclusions: Accordingly, regular DMB consumption could modify the oral microbiome in patients with cancer and dysgeusia, which may contribute to maintaining an appropriate immune response. However, as the present pilot study involved a small number of participants, further studies are necessary to draw robust conclusions from the data.
背景/目的：味觉障碍不仅影响癌症患者的生活质量，还可能导致其营养状况恶化。目前制药行业尚缺乏针对味觉障碍的有效治疗方法。方法：本研究为一项探索性随机、平行、三盲、安慰剂对照的干预临床试验，共纳入31名接受抗肿瘤治疗且伴有味觉障碍的营养不良癌症患者，随机分为三组[标准剂量DMB组（150毫克DMB/片）、高剂量DMB组（300毫克DMB/片）或安慰剂组（300毫克冻干草莓片）]，干预持续三个月。患者在每顿主餐前服用DMB或安慰剂片剂。采用纳米孔测序技术，通过唾液样本分析癌症患者的口腔微生物组。结果：所有伴有味觉障碍的癌症患者均存在菌群失调，表现为细菌多样性和丰富度降低。DMB摄入与口腔微生物组组成变化相关。根据二元逻辑回归分析，所选细菌、味觉感知、饮食类型及细胞因子水平均与黏膜炎无显著关联。同样，饮酒吸烟行为以及全身治疗引起的全身性和消化道毒性，也未与口腔微生物组的特异性变化相关联。干预3个月后，标准剂量DMB组中韦荣球菌属的丰度低于高剂量DMB组和安慰剂组。特别是副血链球菌、小韦荣球菌和变形链球菌等物种在标准剂量DMB组中丰度较低。此外，标准剂量DMB的摄入显示TNF-α浓度与嗜热链球菌、肺炎链球菌、停乳链球菌和无乳链球菌等物种丰度呈负相关。结论：定期摄入DMB可改变伴有味觉障碍的癌症患者的口腔微生物组，这可能有助于维持适当的免疫反应。然而，由于本探索性研究样本量有限，需进一步开展研究以得出可靠结论。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家