Dorothy FarrarTumor cachexia
Tumor cachexia refers to the strong loss of body mass caused by cancer, mainly fat and muscle tissue. Tumor cachexia stems from a highly complex biochemical process in the body, which takes place differently depending on the tumor. Tumor cachexia is associated with a poor prognosis for the patient and typically occurs in the final stages of tumor disease.
What is tumor cachexia?
The term tumor cachexia comes from the Greek and literally means “poor physical condition due to a tumor disease”. Those affected lose a lot of weight, have no appetite and sometimes have to vomit when trying to eat food. If they can eat normally, their metabolism is altered in such a way that they can no longer absorb all nutrients from food, neither macronutrients nor micronutrients.
Tumor cachexia therefore leads to malnutrition, loss of body mass and also to deficiency symptoms, however healthy and balanced the diet itself may be. Tumor cachexia is related not only to cancer treatment, but mainly to the tumor itself. Tumor cachexia worsens the prognosis for the patient because it typically occurs in the final stage and weakens the patient to such an extent that he is not physically resistant enough for aggressive therapies and surgery.
Causes
The exact causes of tumor cachexia are only partially known and are considered insufficiently researched. It is clear that tumor cachexia usually only occurs in the third and fourth stages of cancer and then adversely affects the prognosis. It is regarded as a prognosis factor in its own right. Depending on the type and size of the tumor, the exact biochemical causes of tumor cachexia are different – but it is certain that it is biochemical.
Although large tumors in particular need a lot of nutrients, especially glucose, this alone does not trigger tumor cachexia. Rather, tumors release messenger substances that change the patient’s metabolism, so that he no longer absorbs micro- and macronutrients in sufficient quantities and also reacts with loss of appetite. In some cases, tumor cachexia can be aggravated by the cancer treatment itself, especially chemotherapy has an additional negative effect.
Symptoms and course
Typical symptoms of tumor cachexia:
- Deficiencies
Tumor cachexia does not occur until the third or fourth stage of a tumor disease. From the outside, it is characterized by severe weight loss of the patient, as well as loss of appetite. During chemotherapy, patients can also be burdened by nausea and vomiting. In addition, there is a reduction in bone mass, signs of inflammation and insulin resistance.
Later, increasing malnutrition leads to general physical weakness, fatigue and can trigger depression. Tumor cachexia can also lead to deficiency symptoms, which can be detected by a blood test. If left untreated, tumor cachexia leads to the typical consequences of cachexia, in the worst case up to the death of the patient.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of tumor cachexia is difficult because many factors play a role in the decision whether it is cachexia. The basic prerequisite is a reliably diagnosed cancer. Factors that can rule out tumor cachexia are narrowing or stenosis in the gastrointestinal tract as well as tumors that are located right there and interfere with nutrient absorption due to other factors.
Furthermore, it can be ruled out that the poor general condition of the patient is caused solely by the current cancer therapy. Comparisons of body weight before cancer and measurements of the circumference of body parts provide information on whether body mass is decreasing. Laboratory parameters are difficult to use for a reliable diagnosis due to the biochemical effect of the tumor.
Treatment and therapy
Tumor cachexia can only improve together with cancer. There is no drug alone for the treatment of tumor cachexia. Since it occurs in the late stages of cancer, it must first be clarified whether the cancer itself is still curable – usually it is not. For this reason, attempts are being made to improve the patient’s quality of life with purely palliative measures such as dietary supplementation and the supply of required nutrients via infusions.
If surgical or drug treatments are still an option for the patient, it is necessary to regulate tumor cachexia with similar measures to such an extent that further treatment can be carried out. The treatment depends strongly on the patient’s well-being: the treatment of tumor cachexia with dietary supplementation, appetite stimulants and inhibition of the harmful messenger substances of the tumor are adapted in such a way that the symptoms of tumor cachexia are reduced as much as possible.
Prevention
There is no prevention of tumor cachexia. Cancer patients should make their diet as healthy and nutritious as possible as soon as the disease becomes known.
If tumor cachexia occurs, they have reserves and can hope that the cachexia will not be too extensive. The better nourished the patient is for the onset of the final stages of cancer, the more likely it is that therapies or surgery will still be considered.
Regardless of the stage – every cancer patient should talk to the doctor treating him at an early stage about his diet and possible nutritional supplements in order to counter possible tumor cachexia with reserves.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.