Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Rethinking Nutritional Support For Persons With Cancer Cachexia, Donna O. Mccarthy

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Cancer cachexia is a poorly understood syndrome of anorexia, weight loss, and muscle wasting that negatively impacts quality of life and survival in cancer patients. Research has clearly implicated proinflammatory cytokines in the biology of cancer cachexia. More recent research implicates products of arachidonic acid and suggests that cachexia may be a chronic inflammatory condition rather than a nutritional aberration. To date, nutritional support to slow weight loss has focused primarily on increasing calorie intake. Alternatively, many foods contain factors that can modulate the synthesis or activity of proinflammatory mediators, especially the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 from arachidonic acid. These …