Bennani-Baiti N, Walsh D
Section of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Oncology, The Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 2009 Sep;39(3):257-62.
Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS) is a lethal but poorly defined involuntary wasting disorder. Loss of skeletal muscle and fat distinguishes it from starvation. Cachexia has been described as a clinical syndrome since ancient times, and the poor prognosis has long been acknowledged. In this article we have reviewed historical perspectives on cancer cachexia, and commented on modern definitions. In cancer cachexia, most historical descriptions included anorexia, wasting and a pale complexion. Other associated symptoms, such as fatigue, early satiety and taste changes, were inconsistently described. Newer descriptions have not significantly expanded the clinical picture.Today, there is still no consensus definition, hindering research on early diagnosis and effective therapy. The language descriptors used to characterise the syndrome are important. For example, the word 'cachexia' itself may mislead; perhaps cancer-related wasting syndrome is more accurate. Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome is a disorder associated with high morbidity and mortality, and deserves greater attention in both clinical and translational research.
癌症恶病质综合征（CACS）是一种致命但定义不清的非自主性消耗性疾病。骨骼肌和脂肪的减少使其有别于饥饿。恶病质自古以来就被描述为一种临床综合征，其预后不良早已为人所知。在本文中，我们回顾了关于癌症恶病质的历史观点，并对现代定义进行了评论。在癌症恶病质中，大多数历史描述包括厌食、消瘦和面色苍白。其他相关症状，如疲劳、早饱感和味觉改变，描述并不一致。更新的描述并未显著扩展临床表现。如今，仍然没有共识性定义，这阻碍了早期诊断和有效治疗的研究。用于描述该综合征的语言表述很重要。例如，“恶病质”这个词本身可能会产生误导；也许癌症相关消耗综合征更准确。癌症恶病质综合征是一种与高发病率和高死亡率相关的疾病，在临床和转化研究中都值得更多关注。
