Published March 15, 2023 | Version v.1
Journal article Open

Overcoming barriers to timely recognition and treatment of cancer cachexia: Sharing Progress in Cancer Care Task Force Position Paper and Call to Action

  • 1. Department of Medicine I, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany.
  • 2. Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
  • 3. Department of Cardiology (CVK); and Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT); German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Berlin; Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
  • 4. Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • 5. Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
  • 6. Department Supportive Oncology & Palliative Care, Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
  • 7. Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
  • 8. European Association for the Study of Obesity, Brussels, Belgium.
  • 9. Digestive Cancers Europe, Brussels, Belgium.
  • 10. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology & Clinical Nutrition, University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.
  • 11. Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, Center Integrative Medicine; Cancer Fatigue Clinic, Schaffhausen, Münsterlingen, Rüti; University of Bern, Switzerland.
  • 12. Cancer Center, Clinique de Genolier, Genolier, Switzerland. Electronic address: matti.aapro@spcc.net.

Description

Abstract

Cachexia is a life-threatening disorder affecting an estimated 50-80% of cancer patients. The loss of skeletal muscle mass in patients with cachexia is associated with an increased risk of anticancer treatment toxicity, surgical complications and reduced response. Despite international guidelines, the identification and management of cancer cachexia remains a significant unmet need owing in part to the lack of routine screening for malnutrition and suboptimal integration of nutrition and metabolic care into clinical oncology practice. In June 2020, Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC) convened a multidisciplinary task force of medical experts and patient advocates to examine the barriers preventing the timely recognition of cancer cachexia, and provide practical recommendations to improve clinical care. This position paper summarises the key points and highlights available resources to support the integration of structured nutrition care pathways.

Notes

Funding: Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH and Helsinn Healthcare SA.

Files

Overcoming barriers to timely recognition and treatment of cancer.pdf

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Additional details

Identifiers

ISSN
1040-8428
PMID
36931616

Dates

Available
2023-03-15
Accepted
2023-03-15

Software

Repository URL
https://zenodo.org/records/7852100
Development Status
Active