Assessment of the gustatory function in patients with advanced oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer.

The decrease in gustatory function in individuals with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer was evidenced in this study, especially when associated with tumors in stage T4. Regarding feeding, most of them reported complaints of dysphagia, suggesting the importance of the speech-language-hearing assessment and follow-up, even before the oncological treatment, to minimize the risks of dysphagia.