Which statement best defines cancer cachexia?

Which statement best defines cancer cachexia?

• A. A complex syndrome involving loss of both skeletal muscle and fat mass, driven by inflammation and metabolic dysregulation.
• B. Localized swelling without weight loss.
• C. Increase in fat mass with muscle gain.
• D. Loss of bone density without muscle changes.

Answer: (A)

Cancer cachexia is a systemic wasting process driven by chronic inflammation and metabolic changes. It causes loss of skeletal muscle mass, often with loss of fat tissue, leading to involuntary weight loss that cannot be fully reversed by nutrition alone. Inflammation from the cancer leads to increased proteolysis and lipolysis, altered energy metabolism, and frequently reduced appetite, making this a persistent, multifaceted syndrome. This set it apart from simple localized swelling, an increase in fat and muscle, or bone-density loss, which do not capture the widespread, inflammatory-driven wasting seen in cachexia.

Cancer cachexia is a systemic wasting process driven by chronic inflammation and metabolic changes. It causes loss of skeletal muscle mass, often with loss of fat tissue, leading to involuntary weight loss that cannot be fully reversed by nutrition alone. Inflammation from the cancer leads to increased proteolysis and lipolysis, altered energy metabolism, and frequently reduced appetite, making this a persistent, multifaceted syndrome. This set it apart from simple localized swelling, an increase in fat and muscle, or bone-density loss, which do not capture the widespread, inflammatory-driven wasting seen in cachexia.