How do you approach and manage anorexia and appetite loss in people with advanced cancer?

Topics: Hematologic Malignancies • Radiation Oncology • Gynecologic Cancers • Palliation • Pediatric Oncology • Medical Oncology • Supportive Care • palliative care

How do you counsel patients and caregivers? Do you prescribe medications (''appetite stimulants'') with the goal to improve appetite even if they do not impact other outcomes?

Answer from: Medical Oncologist at Academic Institution

Anorexia/cachexia is often distressing to patients and families and it is this distress that is the target of many of the interventions for this syndrome as there are, in general, no effective therapies. Patients and families are routinely battling over the lack of eating as this causes further disc...

Comments

Medical Oncologist at Clinical Instructor
Thank you Dr. @Toby C. Campbell for such a nice an...

Medical Oncologist at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Totally agree, I love Fast Facts. I always recomme...

Medical Oncologist at The Center for Hematology and Oncology at Holy Cross Hospital
Agree. Palliative Fast Facts is helpful.

Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Community Practice

Medical marijuana, if available in your state, is an excellent tool for battling anorexia. Unfortunately, there isn’t much data to provide guidance in terms of composition and dosing because of the legal standing. Horne, PMID 34479658 Razmovski-Naumovski et al., PMID 35360989 &n...

Answer from: Medical Oncologist at Community Practice

A low dose of zyprexa 2.5 mg po qd for 12 weeks also showed good effect.

Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Community Practice

Though nothing in this space is easy, a comparatively simple solution to improving calorie density is to encourage the use of “spreadables". Full disclosure, I borrowed this expression from a colleague in eating disorders, but it makes sense for our patients too. Virtually, all spreadable foo...

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