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Cancer Cachexia and Anorexia

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The MASCC Textbook of Cancer Supportive Care and Survivorship

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Abstract

Assessment, diagnostic criteria, management, and therapy development in cancer cachexia/anorexia are based on our pathophysiologic understanding of this syndrome. Efforts to define and develop diagnostic criteria for cancer cachexia are ongoing in the community of experts in cachexia research. Current concepts of cancer cachexia underscore the central importance of skeletal muscle wasting and its consequent impairment of physical function as well as metabolic impairments (e.g., severe cancer treatment toxicity). Recognition of the complexity of cachexia is also of considerable importance, especially as it presents with a variable combination of reduced food intake (with both primary and secondary etiologies) and abnormal metabolism (including tumor metabolism and host inflammation) in its underlying pathophysiology. These defining characteristics dictate a multifaceted assessment strategy focusing on muscle loss, food intake, nutrition impact symptoms, and catabolic drivers including tumor burden, systemic inflammation, altered endocrine status, as well as the clinical, functional, and psychosocial consequences. Cancer cachexia treatment is based on multimodal therapy focusing on management of pain, other symptoms and inflammation, treatment of all reversible causes of low food intake, providing a supply of key essential nutrients, and exercise; this therapy entrains the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of health professionals as well as patients and their families.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Vickie E. Baracos

  2. McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Neil MacDonald

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  1. Vickie E. Baracos
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  2. Neil MacDonald
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Correspondence to Vickie E. Baracos .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Ian Olver

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Baracos, V.E., MacDonald, N. (2018). Cancer Cachexia and Anorexia. In: Olver, I. (eds) The MASCC Textbook of Cancer Supportive Care and Survivorship. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90990-5_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90990-5_23

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90989-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90990-5

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