PREVALENCE OF CANCER INDUCED CACHEXIA IN NON-DIGESTIVE TRACT MALIGNANCES: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Complications due to cancer arise at any stage of treatment. May it be prior, during or after the treatment. Cachexia is one such complication, which is multifactorial and has a debilitating effect. The initial presentation is anorexia, followed by weight loss and then muscle wasting. It is associated with reduced quality of life, lower tolerance to treatments such as chemotherapy and thereby reducing the chances of survival. It is more severe in cancers of non-gastrointestinal tract. In this study we evaluated the prevalence of cancer induced cachexia in non-gastrointestinal tract cancers. Methodology: We had included 203 patients of age more than 18 years of either sex, with histopathologically conrmed cancer of different sites in the body other than gastrointestinal tract, who presented with sudden onset weight loss. Descriptive statistics was used for the assessment of cancer induced cachexia. All the data was presented in the form of numbers and percentages. Results: There was a male predominance (56.7%) with non-gastrointestinal tract cancer. Of these 203 patients, 69% had head and neck cancer, 13.7% had breast cancer, 6.4% had lung cancer, 4.9% had ovarian cancer, 3.9% had cervical cancer and 2.0% patients had lymphoma. 100 Patients with cancer induce cachexia consist of 49.3% of the total number of cases. Lung cancer is the most common cancer after gastrointestinal cancer presented with cachexia. Cachexia highest with lung cancer 46.1%, head and neck cancer 45.7%, carcinoma of ovary 40%, cervical cancer 25.3%, carcinoma of breast 28.5%, and lymphoma presented with 25%. Conclusion: The patients with non-gastrointestinal tract cancer should be made aware that on seeing any untoward changes prior, during or after their treatment, they should immediately seek appropriate support so as to prevent debilitating condition such as cancer induced cachexia. Preventive measures help in improving the quality of life with better treatment outcome.