Exercise has been widely believed to be a preventive and therapeutic aid in the treatment of various pathophysiological conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. A common problem associated with such pathologies is cachexia, characterized by progressive weight loss and depletion of lean and fat body mass, and is linked to poor prognosis. As this syndrome comprises changes in many ph...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To explore healthcare professionals' experience, understanding, and perception of the needs of patients with cachexia in advanced cancer. RESEARCH APPROACH A qualitative approach based on symbolic interactionism. SETTING A regional cancer center in a large teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS 34 healthcare professionals who had experience providing care...

Leptin is a product of the obese (OB) gene secreted by adipocytes in proportion to fat mass. It decreases food intake and increases energy expenditure by affecting the balance between orexigenic and anorexigenic hypothalamic pathways. Low leptin levels are responsible for the compensatory increase in appetite and body weight and decreased energy expenditure (EE) following caloric deprivation. T...

Loss of fat mass is a key feature of cancer cachexia and has been attributed to increased adipocyte lipolysis. The mechanism behind this alteration is unknown and was presently investigated. We studied mature s.c. fat cells and differentiated preadipocytes from 26 cancer patients with and without cachexia. Hormone-induced lipolysis and expression of lipolysis-regulating genes were determined to...

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive value of IL-6-572, -190, and -634 gene polymorphisms on the cachexia susceptibility and survival time of patients with pancreatic cancer. Genotypes were determined using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of polymerase chain reaction products. All of the subjects were homozygous to the C allele of IL-6-190. No significant ...

Anorexia-cachexia syndrome develops during the advanced stages of various chronic diseases in which patients exhibit a decreased food intake, weight loss, and muscle tissue wasting. For these patients, this syndrome is a critical problem leading to an increased rate of morbidity and mortality. The present pharmacological therapies for treating anorexia-cachexia have limited effectiveness. The J...

Current research emphasizes the contribution of gut microbiome to numerous health conditions includingcancer and skeletomuscular disorders. Cachexia is a debilitating condition progressive loss bodytissues. It occurs in up 80% patients with tumors, it impairs their functioning quality life andincreases morbidity premature death. Several randomized trials indicate that interventions, which targe...

Sarcopenia and cachexia are significant medical problems with a high disease-related burden in cardiovascular illness. Muscle wasting and weight loss are very frequent particularly in chronic heart failure and they relate to poor prognosis. Although clinically largely underestimated, the fields of cachexia and sarcopenia are of great relevance to cardiologists. In cachexia and sarcopenia a sign...

Cancer-associated anorexia and cachexia are a multifactorial condition described by a loss of body weight and muscle with anorexia, asthenia, and anemia. Moreover, they correlate with a high mortality rate, poor response to chemotherapy, poor performance status, and poor quality of life. Cancer cachexia is regulated by proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattrac...

BACKGROUND Cachexia is defined as the on-going loss of skeletal muscle mass that cannot be fully reversed by conventional nutritional support. It is found in up to 80% of patients with advanced cancer and has profound psycho-social consequences for patients and their families. Previous studies demonstrate that many healthcare professionals receive little formal education in cachexia management ...