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Diagnosing Cancer Cachexia

CE / CME

Signs and Symptoms of Cachexia and Optimizing Diagnostic Tools to Assess, Measure, and Document Cancer Cachexia

Physician Assistants/Physician Associates: 0.25 AAPA Category 1 CME credit

Pharmacists: 0.25 contact hour (0.025 CEUs)

Physicians: maximum of 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit

Nurse Practitioners/Nurses: 0.25 Nursing contact hour

European Learners: 0.25 EBAC® CE Credit

Released: March 25, 2026

Expiration: September 24, 2026

Activity

Progress
1 2 3
Course Completed

References

  1. Fearon K, Strasser F, Anker SD, et al. Definition and classification of cancer cachexia: an international consensus. Lancet Oncol. 2011;12:489-495.
  2. Berriel Diaz M, Rohm M, Herzig S. Cancer cachexia: multilevel metabolic dysfunction. Nat Metab. 2024;6:2222-2245.
  3. Agca S, Kir S. The role of interleukin‐6 family cytokines in cancer cachexia. FEBS J. 2024;291:4009-4023.
  4. Ruan GT, Yang M, Zhang XW, et al. Association of systemic inflammation and overall survival in elderly patients with cancer cachexia – results from a multicenter study. J Inflamm Res. 2021;2021:5527-5540.
  5. Penet MF, Bhujwalla ZM. Cancer cachexia, recent advances, and future directions. Cancer J. 2015;21:117-122.
  6. Daley SF, Ali MA, Ohnuma T, et al. Anorexia and cachexia. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430977/. Accessed March 18, 2026.
  7. Tan Y, Xue R, Pan Y, et al. Cancer cachexia: molecular basis and therapeutic advances. Signal Transduct Targeted Ther. 2026;11:16.
  8. Wang Y-F, An Z-Y, Lin D-H, Jin W-L. Targeting cancer cachexia: molecular mechanisms and clinical study. MedComm. 2022;3:e164.‌
  9. Granda-Cameron C, Lynch MP. Clinical framework for quality improvement of cancer cachexia. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. 2018;5:369-376.
  10. Argilés JM, Betancourt A, Guàrdia-Olmos J, et al. Validation of the CAchexia SCOre (CASCO). Staging cancer patients: the use of miniCASCO as a simplified tool. Front Physiol. 2017;8:92.‌
  11. Madeddu C, Busquets S, Donisi C, et al. Effect of cancer-related cachexia and associated changes in nutritional status, inflammatory status, and muscle mass on immunotherapy efficacy and survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2023;15:1076.
  12. Takaoka T, Yaegashi A, Watanabe D. Prevalence of and survival with cachexia among patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Advances in Nutrition. 2024;15:100282. ‌
  13. Bonomi PD, Walsh D, Currow DC, et al. Cancer cachexia impact on chemotherapy dose reduction, treatment discontinuation, and survival: A qualitative systematic review. Presented at: 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Conference. June 3-7, 2022. Abstract e24103.
  14. Yabe M, Naito T, Matsuda S, et al. Effect of cancer cachexia on the efficacy and treatment delivery of chemotherapy in older patients with advanced small cell lung cancer. Thorac Cancer. 2025;16:e70104.
  15. Jeejeebhoy KN. Malnutrition, fatigue, frailty, vulnerability, sarcopenia and cachexia. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2012;15:213-219.
  16. Jensen GL, and Cederholm T. Exploring the intersections of frailty, sarcopenia, and cachexia with malnutrition. Nutr Clin Pract. 2024;39:1286-1291.
  17. Peters TL, Qiu W, Yang H, et al. Associations of cachexia and frailty with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Sci Rep. 2025;15:4437.
  18. Bathe OF. Tumor metabolism as a factor affecting diversity in cancer cachexia. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2025;328:C908-C920.
  19. Pandey S, Bradley L, Del Fabbro E. Updates in cancer cachexia: clinical management and pharmacologic interventions. Cancers (Basel). 2024;16:1696.
  20. Hawke TJ, Washington TA, Nishimura Y, et al. Unravelling the diversity observed in cancer cachexia. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2025;329:C1593-C1595.
  21. Poulia KA, Sarantis P, Antoniadou D, et al. Pancreatic cancer and cachexia-metabolic mechanisms and novel insights. Nutrients. 2020;12:1543.
  22. Gu X, Xiang D, Zhu H, et al. Targeting cancer-induced skeletal damage: a holistic approach to understanding pathophysiology, mechanisms, and management solutions. Am J Cancer Res. 2025;15:1494-1516.
  23. Garcia JM, Dunne RF, Santiago K, et al. Addressing unmet needs for people with cancer cachexia: recommendations from a multistakeholder workshop. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2022;13:1418-1425.
  24. Cui J, Ji W, Chen J, et al. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Precision Nutrition. 2025;4:e00110.‌
  25. Law M. Cancer cachexia: Pathophysiology and association with cancer-related pain. Front Pain Res (Lausanne). 2022;3:971295.
  26. National Cancer Institute. Cancer cachexia: after years of no advances, progress looks possible. cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/research/cachexia. Accessed March 18, 2026.
  27. Arends J, Strasser F, Gonella S, et al. Cancer cachexia in adult patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines. ESMO Open. 2021;6:100092.
  28. Evans WJ, Morley JE, Argilés J, et al. Cachexia: a new definition. Clin Nutr. 2008;27:793-799. ‌
  29. Arends J, Muscaritoli M, Anker S, et al. Overcoming barriers to timely recognition and treatment of cancer cachexia: Sharing Progress in Cancer Care Task Force position paper and call to action. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2023;185:103965. ‌
  30. Ni J, Zhang L. Cancer cachexia: definition, staging, and emerging treatments. Cancer Manag Res. 2020;12:5597-5605.
  31. Wakabayashi H, Arai H, Inui A. Anamorelin in Japanese patients with cancer cachexia: an update. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2023;17:162-167.

Disclosure

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used to assist in the editorial development of this educational material. Specifically, ChatGPT (OpenAI; model GPT-5.3) was used to support language editing, organization of transcript content, and formatting in accordance with the program style guide.

The AI tool was used solely to assist with editorial refinement (eg, grammar, clarity, and structure) and did not generate new clinical recommendations, interpretations of data, or independent scientific content.

All AI-assisted edits were reviewed, verified, and approved by human editors and the program faculty, who retain full responsibility for the scientific accuracy, balance, and integrity of the final educational content. The material was developed in accordance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.