Introduction Anorexia, involuntary weight loss, tissue wasting, poor performance, and ultimately death characterize cancer cachexia—a condition of advanced protein calorie malnutrition.1-9 Referred to as “the cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome,” anorexia, or loss of compensatory increase in feeding, is a major contributor to the development of cachexia. The word “cachexia” is derived from the Greek words “kakos” meaning “bad” and “hexis” meaning “condition.”1 About half of all cancer patients suffer from this syndrome.2 In general, while patients with hematological malignancies and breast cancer seldom have substantial weight loss, most other solid tumors are associated with a higher frequency of cachexia. At the moment of diagnosis, 80 percent of patients with upper gastrointestinal cancers and 60 percent of patients with lung cancer have already experienced substantial weight loss.2 Cachexia is more common in children and elderly patients and becomes more pronounced as the disease progresses. The prevalence of cachexia increases from 50 percent to more than 80 percent before death and in more than 20 percent of patients, cachexia is the main cause of death.2 Cachexia occurs secondarily as a result of a functional inability to ingest or use nutrients. This can be related to mechanical interference in the gastrointestinal tract, such as obstruction or malabsorption, surgical interventions, or treatment-related toxicity. And in patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy, nausea, vomiting, taste changes, stomatitis, and diarrhea can all contribute to weight loss.8 Patients with cancer often experience psychological distress as a result of uncertainties about the disease, its diagnosis, treatment, and anticipated final outcome. This psychological state, which often coexists with depression, is bound to affect food intake. Thus, cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome is seen as a multidimensional (mal)adaptation encompassing a variety of alterations that range from physiological to behavioral and is correlated with poor outcomes and compromised quality of life. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.