Abstract
The recent publication of the revised Consensus on definition and diagnosis of sarcopenia (EWGSOP2) and the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria changed the approach to research on sarcopenia and malnutrition. Whilst sarcopenia is a nutrition-related disease, malnutrition and cachexia are nutritional disorders sharing the common feature of low fat-free mass. However, they have differential characteristics and etiologies, as well as specific therapeutic approaches. Applying the current definitions in clinical practice is still a challenge for health professionals and the potential for misdiagnosis is high. This is of special concern in the subgroup of older people with cancer, in which sarcopenia, malnutrition, and cancer cachexia are highly prevalent and can overlap or occur separately. The purpose of this review is to provide an updated overview of the latest research and consensus definitions of sarcopenia, malnutrition, and cachexia and to discuss their implications for clinical practice in older patients with cancer. The overall aim is to improve the quality of nutritional care in light of the latest findings.
Highlights
Sarcopenia, malnutrition, and cachexia may occur within a wide range of diseases, and their presence is associated with poorer health outcomes in all populations; all three are highly prevalent in older patients with cancer [1,2,3]
[54];[54]; this this is assoassociated with poor outcomes, especially in older patients with cancer
The etiology ciated with poor outcomes, especially in older patients with cancer [2,55]
Summary
Sarcopenia, malnutrition, and cachexia may occur within a wide range of diseases, and their presence is associated with poorer health outcomes in all populations; all three are highly prevalent in older patients with cancer [1,2,3]. The potential for misdiagnosis is high because they share certain characteristics and overlap in some of their criteria; their physiopathology, etiology, and prognosis differ widely, as do diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The harmonization of international terminologies, definitions, and diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia, malnutrition, and cachexia, as well as the early implementation of therapeutic approaches as part of the standard of care in clinical practice, will require a collaborative effort and must not be delayed. An initial question is whether sarcopenia, malnutrition, and cachexia are to be defined as diseases, disorders, syndromes, or conditions—terms often used interchangeably, but having different meanings. A disorder is defined as a derangement or abnormality of function;
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