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The prognostic role of inflammation and hormones in patients with metastatic cancer with cachexia

Medical Oncology volume 32, Article number: 56 (2015) Cite this article

Abstract

We wanted to investigate the possible etiologic factors of cachexia. Forty-six patients diagnosed with cancer cachexia and 34 healthy controls were included in the study. Serum total testosterone, free testosterone, interleukin 1 (IL) alpha and beta, IL6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, orexin, galanin, neuropeptide Y, tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were investigated. There were 36 male and 10 female patients in the cachexia group, and 24 male and 10 female patients in the control group. Median overall survival (OS) of the cachexia group after the diagnosis of cachexia was 8 (1–25) months. There were statistically significant relationships between OS and BMI, serum CRP, TRAF-6, albumin, and LDH levels in the cachexia group. In addition to cachexia, serum CRP, testosterone, and TNF alpha levels were statistically significantly correlated with OS in refractory cachexia. TRAF-6 levels was significantly correlated with type of cancer (P = 0.02). Although cachexia presents with a multifactorial ethio-pathogenesis, few of them affect the OS. Our novel results were that serum CRP, albumin, LDH, and TRAF-6 levels have a higher association with OS in patients with cancer cachexia compared to the many other parameters. An ongoing cachexia also called refractory cachexia is a recent definition. This end-stage term of cancer duration may be predicted by decreasing serum testosterone and increasing serum TNF alpha levels, as well as serum CRP levels.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Bulent Ecevit University, this work was supported in part by under project BAP-2012-20-00-16.

Conflict of interest

Cemil Bilir M.D., Huseyin Engin M.D., Murat Can M.D., Yasemin Bakkal Temi M.D., Derya Demirtas M.D. all of the authors declare no conflict of interest.

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The authors of this manuscript certify that they comply with the ethical guidelines for authorship and publishing in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle.

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Affiliations

  1. Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Bulent Ecevit University School of Medicine, Sultan Orhan Mh 1145 sk No:14, Zonguldak, Turkiye

    Cemil Bilir, Huseyin Engin & Yasemin Bakkal Temi

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Bulent Ecevit University School of Medicine, Zonguldak, Turkiye

    Murat Can

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Bulent Ecevit University School of Medicine, Zonguldak, Turkiye

    Derya Demirtas

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  1. Cemil Bilir
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  2. Huseyin Engin
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  3. Murat Can
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  4. Yasemin Bakkal Temi
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  5. Derya Demirtas
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Correspondence to Cemil Bilir.

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Bilir, C., Engin, H., Can, M. et al. The prognostic role of inflammation and hormones in patients with metastatic cancer with cachexia. Med Oncol 32, 56 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-015-0497-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-015-0497-y

Keywords

  • Cachexia
  • TRAF-6
  • Inflammation
  • Hormones
  • Survival