ISSN: 1755-5191

Imaging in Medicine

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Cachexia isn't limited to cancer. It is commonly seen in people with AIDS and chronic forms of kidney disease and heart failure, among other conditions, as well as in those who have suffered severe trauma and burns, said Dr. Alfred Goldberg of the Harvard University School of Medicine, whose research on muscle wasting and protein degradation eventually led to the development of the cancer drug bortezomib (Velcade). With so many potential clinical applications, Dr. Goldberg said, "There really is an enormous therapeutic opportunity here."Cachexia (pronounced kuh-KEK-see-uh) is a “wasting” disorder that causes extreme weight loss and muscle wasting, and can include loss of body fat. This syndrome affects people who are in the late stages of serious diseases like cancer, HIV or AIDS, COPD, kidney disease, and congestive heart failure (CHF). The term “cachexia” comes from the Greek words “kakos” and “hexis,” which mean “bad condition.”The difference between cachexia and other types of weight loss is that it’s involuntary. People who develop it don’t lose weight because they’re trying to trim down with diet or exercise. They lose weight because they eat less due to a variety of reasons. At the same time, their metabolism changes, which causes their body to break down too much muscle. Both inflammation and substances created by tumors can affect appetite and cause the body to burn calories more quickly than usual.Researchers believe that cachexia is part of the body’s response to fighting disease. To get more energy to fuel the brain when nutritional stores are low, the body breaks down muscle and fat.A person with cachexia doesn’t simply lose weight. They get so weak and frail that their body becomes vulnerable to infections, which makes them more likely to die from their condition. Simply getting more nutrition or calories isn’t enough to reverse cachexia.

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