Phänotypische Charakterisierung von Gewichtsabnahme und Appetitveränderungen bei Tumorpatienten

Cancer cachexia is a condition of abnormally low weight and general bodily decline deteriorating quality of life and reducing the prognosis of patients who suffer from it. The cachexia syndrome represents a complex metabolic state accompanied by muscle wasting and loss of body fat with weight loss as only one component of this multifaceted syndrome. References vary in the amount of weight loss (5-10%) and the time span (6-12 months) in which it occurs. A number of nonspecific factors associated with cancer (e.g. anorexia, changes in taste and smell, vomiting, pain) may contribute to limited food intake. However, loss of appetite is not obligatory for developing cachexia. Up to one-half of untreated cancer patients is expected to lose weight. It is most common in patients with lung and upper gastrointestinal cancer and less common in patients with breast and lower gastrointestinal cancer. As survival of cancer patients is inversely related to the total weight loss, it is an important prognostic indicator. In this work, a classification of cancer cachexia was developed as well as a questionnaire and 521 patients were interrogated about changes of body weight an d appetite during there cancer disease. The results were evaluated and they show that especially patients with cancer of the esophagus, pankreas, lung and Hodgkins's diesease are likely to develop cachexie, whereas patients with carcinoma of breast and hematologic diseases are not.