For cancer patients, maintaining muscle is vital to health and treatment, but staying strong is complicated

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For Cancer Patients, Maintaining Muscle is Vital to Health and Treatment, but Staying Strong is Complicated

What is Cancer Cachexia?

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Cancer cachexia is an unintentional loss of body weight that mainly affects muscle mass. It is diagnosed when a cancer patient loses more than five percent of their body weight over six months. For a 180-pound person, this would equate to nine pounds lost.

The Impact of Cachexia on Patients

Cancer cachexia can have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life and prognosis. While muscle wasting is not typically painful, the general loss of strength, muscle function, and independence can be jarring. Everyday tasks become increasingly difficult as muscle disappears. Cachexia can also influence how well certain chemotherapies work. Patients with cachexia tend to have lower treatment tolerances than those of healthy body composition.

Emotional Impact of Cachexia

Emotionally, cachexia can be extremely difficult to manage. Cachexia patients report struggling with body image, loss of independence, and becoming a burden to their loved ones. They also tend to have higher rates of anxiety and depression.

Treating Cachexia

Unfortunately, Canada lacks standardized options for treating patients with cancer cachexia. Research suggests that treating cachexia should use a multi-targeted approach. Nutritional interventions are essential for combating cachexia and should be started as soon as possible with consultation from a registered dietitian.

Exercise could be a powerful tool to treat cachexia. A combination of aerobic and strength exercises is likely most beneficial. Exercise can also improve general quality of life and mental health of cancer patients.

Diagnosing and Detecting Cachexia

Perhaps the biggest limitation in treating cachexia is detecting it early enough to intervene. Diagnosing cachexia is largely based on weight-related measures. Unfortunately, many healthcare professionals are not performing these basic diagnostic assessments.

An international study found that only about half of healthcare professionals surveyed thought newly diagnosed cancer patients should be weighed. Cachexia is likely underdiagnosed and, therefore, under-addressed among Canadians.

Conclusion

Cachexia has a massive impact on cancer outcomes and patient quality of life. The sooner it is detected, the better chance there is to manage it. Management should involve a multi-disciplinary team that can help with diet, exercise, and psycho-social aspects of the condition.

FAQs

• What is cancer cachexia?
  • Cancer cachexia is an unintentional loss of body weight that mainly affects muscle mass.
• What are the symptoms of cancer cachexia?
  • Loss of muscle mass, strength, and function; difficulty with everyday tasks; and potential impact on chemotherapy effectiveness.
• How is cancer cachexia diagnosed?
  • Through weight-related measures, such as percentage of body weight lost over six months.
• What are the treatment options for cancer cachexia?
  • Nutritional interventions, exercise, and psycho-social support.
• Is there a cure for cancer cachexia?
  • No, but research is ongoing to develop medications that can specifically target the pathways of muscle wasting.