The Prevalence of Cancer Cachexia Using Different Diagnostic Criteria

Cancer cachexia is a wasting syndrome that has been poorly characterized partly due to the lack of an adequate definition. In an attempt to establish diagnostic criteria, a formal consensus process was established, proposing three possible definitions for cancer cachexia: 1. Weight loss >5% over past 6 months (in absence of simple starvation); 2. Body mass index (BMI) <20 kg/m2 and any degree of weight loss >2%; 3. Sarcopenia (i.e. muscle depletion) defined by lumbar skeletal muscle index determined by computerized tomography (CT) imaging (men <55 cm2/m2; woman < 39 cm2/m2)and a... Mehr ...