The Cancer Cachexia Syndrome: A Review of Metabolic and Clinical Manifestations

Abstract

The progressive deterioration in nutrition status frequently seen in cancer patients is often referred to as cancer cachexia. Unlike starvation, in which fat stores from adipose are depleted and protein is spared from skeletal muscle, neither fat nor protein is spared in cachexia. Cachexia affects nearly half of cancer patients, causing the clinical manifestations of anorexia, muscle wasting, weight loss, early satiety, fatigue, and impaired immune response. Cachexia does not only impede the response to chemotherapy but also is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. According to clinical studies, increasing caloric intake does not necessarily reverse cachexia. The pathophysiology of cachexia involves more complex mechanisms than simply caloric deficiency. The process appears to be mediated by circulating catabolic factors, either secreted by the tumor alone or in concert with host-derived factors, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukins (IL-1 and IL-6), interferon (IFN-y), and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). The successful reversal of this process will require in-depth knowledge of the mechanisms involved, which will then enable the development of effective pharmacologic interventions that may not only improve quality of life, but more importantly, improve survival among cancer patients.