Study Shows Zinc Doesn't Help Head and Neck Cancer Patients

    FAIRFAX, Va., April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Zinc sulfate, a supplement
 thought to be helpful in regaining the sense of taste for some head and
 neck cancer patients after radiation therapy, has been found to have no
 significant impact on preventing or curing taste alteration, according to a
 study released today in the International Journal for Radiation
 Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.
     Taste alteration is a common side effect for head and neck cancer
 patients after radiation therapy. For these patients, usual food flavors
 taste bland or different, with a few patients losing the sensation of taste
 altogether. Losing taste sensation can lead to a significant change in
 eating habits, causing some patient to avoid certain unappealing foods,
 sometimes leading to additional weight loss at a time when good nutrition
 is critical.
     Previous academic studies have suggested that the use of zinc sulfate
 could help patients regain their sense of taste more quickly after
 radiation therapy. Doctors in this phase three, multi-institutional,
 double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that giving patients a zinc
 sulfate vitamin supplement had little to no effect on the sense of taste
 for the patients in the study.
     Over the course of three years, 173 patients were treated for head and
 neck cancer with traditional radiation therapy. Patients were divided into
 two groups, one group treated with zinc, the other with placebo. Both
 groups experienced similar degrees of taste alteration, but doctors
 reported that there was no significant difference in taste recovery between
 the groups. Only six percent of the zinc-treated group achieved complete
 taste recovery, compared to 18 percent in the placebo group. This study is
 the largest ever reported to date to evaluate zinc sulfate in the treatment
 or prevention of taste alteration for patients receiving radiation therapy
 for head and neck cancer.
     "The results of this study were disappointing in that we hoped that
 zinc sulfate would help patients maintain their taste based on prior pilot
 data. However, I am glad that we were able to definitely rule out the use
 of zinc at this dose level so we can further explore other promising
 treatments to help patients maintain their quality of life during and after
 treatment," said Michele Y. Halyard, M.D., lead author of the study and a
 radiation oncologist at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz.
     To learn more about head and neck cancer, visit www.rtanswers.org. To
 obtain a full copy of the study or to arrange an interview with Dr.
 Halyard, please contact Julie Barden at 1-800-962-7876 or julieb@astro.org.
     ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more
 than 8,600 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation
 therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and
 physics, the Society is dedicated to the advancement of the practice of
 radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing
 opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting
 research and disseminating research results and representing radiation
 oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare environment.
 
 

SOURCE ASTRO