Cancer cachexia syndrome is a common and important complication of cancer. It occurs in 30% to 80% cancer patients. It includes anorexia, loss weight, weakness and impaired immune function. The cause of the syndrome stays still unclear. Many endocrinological and metabolic abnormalities are observed, like hypermetabolism, glucose intolerance, increased proteolysis and lipolysis. Main role in the development of cancer cachexia is played by cytokines: TNF, interleukin 1 and 6, interferon alfa and gamma. The aim of the study was to collect information about cachexia in lung cancer patients, treated in Department of Pulmonology, Wrocław Medical University. We observed 76 patients with recent diagnosis of lung cancer (43 male, 33 female), 50 patients with non-small lung cancer and 26 with small lung cancer. Average age 61 +/- 9.76. We divided all patients in four groups, depending on percent of weight loss and compared these groups. We estimated extent of disease, anthropological and biochemical parameters. Among all patients we found cachexia in 23 (32%). There were only some differences between patients with and without cachexia. Bigger loss weight was observed in older men.
Conclusions: Cachexia syndrome is not an important problem in lung cancer patients at the time of diagnosis.