Abstract
Cancer has become one of the most common and devastating health problems in the aging population worldwide. Patients often suffer from a range of complications associated with cancer and cancer treatments that impact their quality of life and may reduce overall survival. Among those secondary to cancer and treatment are malnutrition and cachexia, which may be a result of the malignancy itself or of the treatment approaches, especially chemotherapy. Depending on the specific cancer type and stage, the prevalence of cachexia ranges from 28% to 57% as evaluated by clinical trials. This chapter will address the following topics related to malnutrition and cancer cachexia:
-
Contributing factors to the development of malnutrition and cachexia
-
Underlying pathophysiology and biochemical derangement
-
Potential biochemical screening markers for malnutrition and cachexia
-
Current and future treatment approaches and preventative strategies
The chapter furthermore aims to provide a best practices approach to guide clinicians in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer cachexia to optimize quality of life for the patient and improve survival.
Abbreviations
- 5-HT:
-
5-hydroxytryptamine, serotonin
- BIA:
-
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis
- CaMKII:
-
Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II
- CNS:
-
Central nervous system
- CRP:
-
C-reactive protein
- EMA:
-
European Medicines Agency
- EPA:
-
Eicosapentaenoic acid
- FDA:
-
Food & Drug Administration
- GHSR:
-
Ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor
- HPA:
-
Hypothalamus pituitary adrenal
- IGF:
-
Insulin-like growth factor
- IL:
-
Interleukin
- MNA-SF:
-
Mini Nutritional-Assessment Short-Form
- mRNA:
-
Messenger ribonucleic acid
- MST:
-
Malnutrition Screening Tool
- MUST:
-
Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool
- NRS-2002:
-
Nutrition Risk Screening 2002
- PG-SGA:
-
Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment
- POMC:
-
Proopiomelanocortin
- RR:
-
Relative risk
- SARM:
-
Selective androgen receptor modulator
- TNF:
-
Tumor necrosis factor
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Grundmann, O., Yoon, S.L., Williams, J.J. (2017). Malnutrition, Cachexia and Quality of Life in Patients with Cancer. In: Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) Handbook of Famine, Starvation, and Nutrient Deprivation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40007-5_56-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40007-5_56-1
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