Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Cachexia

J Palliat Med. 2023 Aug;26(8):1133-1138. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2022.0598. Epub 2023 Jan 31.

Abstract

Cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome that is common in cancer and chronic disease. It is often underdiagnosed and therefore goes untreated or undertreated. Cachexia causes suffering across biopsychosocial domains and affects patients and their loved ones. In this article, a group of clinicians and researchers across cancer care, nutrition, and exercise offers tips about assessment, classification, and management of cachexia, with attention to its stage. The required multimodal management of cachexia mirrors well the interprofessional collaboration that is the mainstay of interdisciplinary palliative care and attention to screening, diagnosis, and management of cachexia is critical to maximize patients' quality of life.

Keywords: advanced cancer; cachexia; fatigue; myotoxicity; serious illness; symptom management.

MeSH terms

  • Cachexia / etiology
  • Cachexia / therapy
  • Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms* / complications
  • Palliative Care
  • Quality of Life