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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
08:55
The Colon-26 Carcinoma Tumor-bearing Mouse as a Model for the Study of Cancer Cachexia
Published on: November 30, 2016
Defining Cachexia in Children With Cancer in the United States: Developing a Framework to Inform Clinical and
Daniel V Runco1,2,3, Guohai Zhou4, Adina R Lemeshow4
1Division of Hematology, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Summary
Developing criteria for pediatric cancer cachexia is crucial for understanding its impact. This study proposes new guidelines to identify and study this condition in children with cancer.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Clinical Nutrition
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Cancer cachexia, characterized by muscle and weight loss, is common in adult cancers but lacks formal definition in children.
- This knowledge gap hinders clinical recognition and impact assessment of cachexia in pediatric cancer patients.
- Established undernutrition guidelines were adapted to create potential criteria for identifying cachexia in children with cancer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and propose criteria for identifying cancer cachexia in pediatric patients.
- To estimate the prevalence and incidence of pediatric cancer cachexia using electronic health records.
- To provide a framework for future research and consensus guideline development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) and Optum Electronic Health Records (EHR) databases (2017-2021).
- Developed five sets of candidate criteria based on anthropometric measures (z-scores) and ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes.
- Analyzed data from 26,855 pediatric cancer patients (aged <18 years).
Main Results:
- Prevalence and incidence estimates varied significantly based on age, cancer type, and the specific cachexia definition used.
- Generally low estimates were observed across most categories, particularly in younger children (<2 years).
- Assessment challenges were noted in the youngest age groups due to limited patient numbers.
Conclusions:
- This study presents one of the initial efforts to establish criteria for pediatric cancer cachexia.
- The proposed criteria and data offer a foundation for further research.
- The goal is to inform the development of consensus guidelines for identifying childhood cancer cachexia.
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