How do you approach and manage anorexia and appetite loss in people with advanced cancer?
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 Los Angeles VA Medical Center 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: 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...
Thank you Dr. @Toby C. Campbell for such a nice an...
Totally agree, I love Fast Facts. I always recomme...
Agree. Palliative Fast Facts is helpful.