Am I Losing Weight Because Of Cancer

Weight loss is common among people with . It may be the first visible sign of the disease. In fact, 40% of people say they had unexplained weight loss when they were first diagnosed with . Weight loss associated with may be different than other types of weight loss. Doctors refer to a weight loss syndrome called “cachexia, ” which is characterized by increased metabolism, loss of skeletal muscle, fatigue, loss of appetite, and decreased quality of life. Cachexia is very common in patients with incurable .

Relieving side effects is an important part of care and treatment. This approach is called palliative care or supportive care. It helps meet the patient’s physical, emotional, and social needs. Research strongly supports that palliative care be part of your care earlier rather than later.

Sometimes, doctors may suggest certain drugs to curb weight loss. These drugs may include: Megestrol acetate. This is a progesterone hormone. It can improve appetite, weight gain, and sense of well-being. However, you need to discuss the risks of taking megestrol acetate with your health care team because of the increased risk of blood clots while taking this medication.

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Steroid medications. Also called corticosteroids or glucocorticoids, these may increase appetite and improve your sense of well-being. They also may help with nausea, weakness, and pain. Doctors often only suggest steroids for short-term use for periods of less than 2 weeks. Despite the many benefits of steroids, long-term use is associated with many side effects, including, but not limited to, increases in blood sugar, increased risk of infection, and muscle weakness. It is important to note that doctors try to minimize the use of steroids for patients receiving immunotherapy.

Metoclopramide (Reglan). This is a medication used to help treat nausea and vomiting. Metoclopramide may also help prevent the feeling of fullness if you take it about 30 minutes before trying to eat a meal. One key side effect of this medication is that it may cause diarrhea.  

Pancreatic enzyme (lipase) replacement. The pancreas has a key role in helping digest food. For patients who may not have a fully functional pancreas, such as those with pancreatic , supplemental digestive enzymes may help the body absorb fat, proteins, and carbohydrates. Signs that you may need to take supplemental digestive enzymes may include increased gas, bloating, vague abdominal pain, and stools that float in the toilet bowl. Be sure to let your health care team know if you have any of these symptoms.

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Dronabinol (Marinol). This is a medication containing 1 of the active ingredients in medical cannabis called THC. THC may increase appetite but is also associated with a higher risk of confusion, especially in adults over the age of 65. Discuss the risks and benefits of taking dronabinol with your health care team, especially if you have never used medical cannabis previously or if you are taking other medications that may increase your risk of confusion (pain medications, anxiety medications).

Sometimes, patients receive nutrients through an intravenous (IV) tube instead of eating and drinking. Usually, the goal is to provide short-term nutritional support to improve health. An IV is inserted into a vein. The nutrients go directly into the body through the IV. Studies have demonstrated that the use of intravenous nutrient therapy should be limited to short periods. This is an artificial way of providing nutrition and therefore is associated with higher risks of infection and fluid building up in the body. In most situations, this approach is not very helpful in patients with weight loss related to advanced . In rare situations, like when there is a bowel obstruction, this approach may be tried. 

Weight loss and cachexia are different. Cachexia is a syndrome that is caused by the underlying . Although weight loss is part of cachexia, it is not associated with the increased metabolism that occurs with cachexia. Therefore, weight loss as part of cachexia does not always improve with more calories.

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Up to 80% of people with advanced  have cachexia. Cachexia is also called wasting. Wasting is when a person has both weight loss and muscle loss. Like other weight loss, cachexia can cause fatigue, weakness, loss of energy, and make it hard to do everyday tasks. People with cachexia may also experience more intense symptoms.

Cachexia can make it difficult for a person to cope with the physical demands of treatment. It may be helpful for people with cachexia to talk with a registered dietitian for a nutritional assessment and counseling. A registered dietitian gives patients and their caregivers advice about eating and feeding to help cope with cachexia and related side effects. This includes education around high-protein, high-calorie, nutrient-rich foods for when the patient wants to eat.  

Based on current scientific research, ASCO recommends not using any medication for treatment of cachexia as one acceptable option for management. In specific circumstances, doctors may try a short-term treatment with a progesterone hormone or steroid medication (see above). ASCO also does not recommend that people with advanced and cachexia be fed through an IV or through a feeding tube due to possible complications, unless very specific conditions are present in otherwise reasonably fit individuals, such as a reversible bowel obstruction, short bowel syndrome, or other issues that cause problems with the absorption of nutrients.

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This information is based on the ASCO guideline, “Management of Cachexia.” Please note that this link takes you to another ASCO website. Listen to a Podcast on cachexia to learn more.

Comprehensive information for people with , families, and caregivers, from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the voice of the world's oncology professionals.In September 2016, I noticed that my right breast didn’t feel the same as my left. It had been painful for a few months, but I put it down tomenstrual pain and didn’t think much of it.

When I noticed a thickening of the tissue, I took myself to the doctors. She examinedme, andput it down to hormones, possiblybecause ofbreast feeding and said it was nothing to worry about.

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A year later, the thickening had started to become a lump. When I tried to make an appointment witha femaledoctor, I was told I would have to wait two weeks.

In those short few weeks, the lump began to grow. I could see it under my skin. I began to worry again.

When I went for my appointment I was thrown into a new world of panic. Within the space of a few minutes my doctor was talking about urgentreferrals.

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I wasofficiallydiagnosed with breast cancer on the 20thOctober. I felt numb. I was 37, with no family history of breast cancer. How could this be happening?

I didn’t cry for myself, I cried for my little boys, my husband and my family. I felt like I’d let them all down in the most devastating way.

The talk soon turned to treatment. I was told I had a grade threetumourin my right breast. It was an invasive ductal, triple negative cancer. Due to my age and the nature of thetumourit was decided that I would have chemotherapy before surgery and finally a course of radiotherapy. The works!

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The thought of chemo completely terrified me. I had a vision of a chemo patient in my head and it was a million miles away from who I was. One of the worstthings for me wasthat it was going to change the way I saw myself when I looked in the mirror.

The feeling of being completely out of control was also a major mental stumbling block. I had no control over what was happening to meanymore.

I lost my hair just before my second chemotherapy session. It wasn’t long after that that I began to pile on the weight. The combination of lots of steroids and an insatiable appetitemeant that I started gaining weight very quickly.

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Chemotherapy is hard enough, but to see the old you slowly disappear and be replaced by a bloated, bald and fatigued version of yourself is heartbreaking.

A few years earlier I had lost three stone by followingSlimmingWorld. As I watched my appearance change during my treatment I decided that as soon as I finished chemotherapy I would go back toSlimmingWorld.

Lots of my friends and family thought I was crazy, but I felt like I was gaining back a little bit of control.

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It seemed a ridiculous thing for me to be worrying about, but the extra weight was having a massive effect on my mental health and self-esteem.

I kept being told that the weight didn’t matter, that there were more important things. They were right. My weight doesn’t define me, but they didn’t understand that I was beginning to lose myself.I only saw cancer when I looked in the mirror.

My last chemotherapy was on the 1stMarch 2017 and I walked into mySlimmingWorldgroupwith one of my best friends for moral supporton the 14thMarch. I stepped on the scales to discover I had gained 3st and 1lb.

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25 weeks later I have lost 2st 9.5lbs. I’m well on my way to my target weight and I’m feeling fantastic. I look in the mirror and there