Cancer Cachexia
Summary of Key Points
• Loss of appetite and weight loss are common in patients with advanced, incurable cancer and are associated with a poor prognosis.
• Although patients with advanced, incurable cancer who have the “cachexia syndrome” may appear malnourished, nutritional support with either enteral or parenteral nutrition rarely provides a positive impact on clinical outcomes.
• For palliative purposes, corticosteroids and progestational agents improve appetite in patients with incurable cancer who are experiencing a loss of appetite and weight loss.
• A variety of agents that target muscle, including antimyostatin therapy, are currently being tested in clinical trials to begin to determine their role in treating cancer cachexia syndrome.
