Maintaining good health and well-being is crucial for how well patients respond to cancer treatments. Unfortunately, cachexia, or involuntary weight loss, is a major concern for many individuals with advanced cancer. A new study from Japan has revealed that lower cachexia rates, particularly with prevalence less than 40–50%, are linked to shorter overall survival (OS) rates.
The study also showed that the diagnostic criteria used for cachexia detection can affect the reported cachexia prevalence. People with advanced heart disease or cancer often face serious health challenges. Cachexia, an involuntary loss of weight, affects about 11% to 71% of cancer patients.
This condition can disrupt essential chemotherapy, lower quality of life, and reduce overall survival (OS)-;the length of time that cancer patients live after being diagnosed or starting treatment. Cachexia leads to a continuous loss of muscle mass, with or without fat loss, which cannot be remedied by conventional nutritional support, creating ongoing difficulties with daily activities. Various diagnostic methods exist for cachexia detection, each predicting different survival outcomes.
However, the lack of a consistent diagnostic approach creates challenges for the assessment of cachexia prevalence and its actual impact on survival rates. To bridge this gap, Mr. Tomoya Takaoka, a registered dietician at the Division of Clinical Nutrition at Shinshu University Hospital, Japan, collaborated with Dr.
Daiki Watanabe, .