Tumor necrosis factor not detectable in patients with clinical cancer cachexia

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cachexia in neoplastic and infectious diseases. To assess the relationship between TNF and weight loss among cancer patients, we assayed TNF levels in serum from 19 patients who had lost 8%-40% of premorbid weight. The weight loss experienced by these patients was not attributable to anticancer therapy, gastrointestinal disorders, or other medical problems. TNF was measured using a quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that is sensitive to human TNF in serum at concentrations greater than or equal to 40 pg/mL. No TNF was detected in serum samples from the 19 patients studied.