Prevalence and Development of Cachexia Before and After Diagnosis of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Metabolic Disorders
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Cachexia is often defined at cancer diagnosis, but early weight changes are crucial for understanding its development.
• Retrospective weight data before diagnosis is limited, leading to potential recall bias.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze body weight trajectories up to one year before and after non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diagnosis.
• To determine if cachexia can be detected earlier than the point of diagnosis.
• To assess the prevalence and progression of cachexia in NSCLC patients post-diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of electronic health records for NSCLC patients with pre- and post-diagnosis weight data.
• Cachexia defined by International Consensus criteria (>5% or >2% body weight loss based on BMI).
• Weight data analyzed in 3-month intervals to track changes over time.

Main Results:

• 28% of NSCLC patients presented with cachexia at diagnosis, with mean weight loss of 8.6% in the preceding year.
• Weight loss post-diagnosis was similar in patients with or without pre-diagnosis cachexia.
• By 12 months post-diagnosis, 58% of patients met cachexia criteria, with weight loss occurring over a median of 220 days.

Conclusions:

• Weight loss indicative of cachexia can begin as early as 12 months prior to NSCLC diagnosis.
• More than half of NSCLC patients develop cachexia within a year of diagnosis, especially those with advanced disease.
• Early nutritional and pharmacological interventions are recommended for NSCLC patients to manage cachexia.