癌症惡病質的檢視

The role of cancer cachexia

癌症惡病質乃一有肌肉流失，和/或脂肪組織耗損的症候群，患者會出現生理功能差和預後不良。多元化的治療可以改善患者的結果，其包括運動、營養和藥物的治療。藥物主要用來刺激食慾，增加食物進入腸道，改善體重。但目前仍沒有被證實可有效治療癌症惡病質的藥物，仍採合併藥物、運動和營養支持的方式。

Cancer cachexia is a syndrome characterized by weight loss accompanying loss of muscle and/or fat tissue wasting and induces to impaired patient function and physical performance and is associated with a poor prognosis. Multidisciplinary management of cancer cachexia has the potential to improve patient outcomes and efficiency of care. Multidisciplinary management consists primarily of exercise, nutrition and pharmacotherapy. The pharmacist’s role in cancer cachexia is to contribute to appropriate pharmacotherapy practices, such as stimulating appetite and increasing food intake and body weight. Currently, there are no effective medical interventions to completely reverse cachexia. There is a need to develop a multimodal treatment approach combining pharmacology, exercise program, and nutritional support to target anorexia and the severe metabolic changes encountered in cancer cachexia.