Serum tumor necrosis factor does not correlate with changes in muscle volume in children with malignancies

This study examined the connection between serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF) concentration and the development of cachexia in 12 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The changes in muscle thickness were used as criteria for malnutrition, estimated by an ultrasound method during the 16 weeks of chemotherapy subsequent to diagnosis. Serum TNF concentrations were elevated at diagnosis and gradually decreased toward the reference limits by week 16. There was no correlation between TNF and muscle thickness. The results were also compared to those obtained from 8 children with other malignancies in whom the mean relative weight remained below normal whereas in those with ALL it gradually increased to +15%. Thus, we found no evidence of the association between elevated serum TNF concentrations and cachexia in man.