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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
08:55
The Colon-26 Carcinoma Tumor-bearing Mouse as a Model for the Study of Cancer Cachexia
Published on: November 30, 2016
Cancer cachexia--a clinical entity?
T W Lennard1, A J Rich, P D Wright
1Department of Surgery, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP, UK.
Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|April 1, 1983
Summary
Cancer cachexia, a metabolic condition, presents differently from simple undernutrition. Standard nutritional assessments failed to detect significant differences in body composition between cancer patients and undernourished individuals without cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Metabolic Disorders
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Metabolic abnormalities in cancer can alter tissue loss patterns, distinguishing cancer cachexia from simple undernutrition.
- Cancer cachexia may present unique characteristics compared to malnutrition in non-cancer patients.
- Detecting these differences through clinical methods is a key research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if standard nutritional assessment methods can differentiate cancer cachexia from simple undernutrition.
- To compare body composition indicators between cancer patients and undernourished cancer-free individuals.
Main Methods:
- Seven standard nutritional assessment measurements were taken prior to treatment.
- Measurements included body weight percentage, arm muscle circumference, triceps skinfold, plasma protein, albumin, transferrin, and lymphocyte count.
- Data were collected from 72 cancer patients and 89 undernourished cancer-free patients.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found between the cancer cachexia group and the simple undernutrition group for any of the seven nutritional assessment parameters.
- Parameters assessed included body weight, muscle circumference, skinfold thickness, plasma proteins (albumin, transferrin), and lymphocyte count.
Conclusions:
- Standard nutritional assessment methods are insufficient to detect differences in body composition between cancer cachexia and simple undernutrition.
- Further research is needed to identify specific markers or methods for distinguishing cancer cachexia from general undernutrition.
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