title: Correlation between the international consensus definition of the Cancer Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome (CACS) and patient-centered outcomes in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS) is common in patients with advanced solid tumors and is associated with adverse outcomes including poor quality of life (QOL), impaired functioning, and shortened survival.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To apply the recently posed weight-based international consensus CACS definition to a population of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explore its impact on patient-reported outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-nine patients participated in up to four study visits over a six-month period. Longitudinal assessments included measures of physical function, QOL, and other clinical variables such as weight and survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients meeting the consensus CACS criteria at Visit 1 had a significantly shorter median survival (239.5 vs. 446 days; hazard ratio, 2.06, P < 0.05). Physical function was worse in the CACS group (mean Karnofsky Performance Status score 68 vs. 77, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status score 1.8 vs. 1.3, P < 0.05 for both), as was QOL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General [FACT-G] Lung Cancer subscale of 17.2 vs. 19.9, Anorexia/Cachexia subscale of 31.4 vs. 37.9, P < 0.05 for both). Differences in the FACT-G and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue subscale approached but did not reach statistical significance. Longitudinally, all measures of physical function and QOL worsened regardless of CACS status, but the rate of decline was more rapid in the CACS group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The weight-based component of the recently proposed international consensus CACS definition is useful in identifying patients with advanced NSCLC who are likely to have significantly inferior survival and who will develop more precipitous declines in physical function and QOL. This definition may be useful for clinical screening purposes and identify patients with high palliative care needs.
authors.affiliation: Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Center for Learning Health Care, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Nipp
authors.affiliation: Center for Learning Health Care, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Christel N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Rushing
authors.affiliation: Center for Learning Health Care, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Greg P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Samsa
authors.affiliation: Center for Learning Health Care, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Susan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Locke
authors.affiliation: Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Center for Learning Health Care, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Arif H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Kamal
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Cella
authors.affiliation: Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Center for Learning Health Care, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA. Electronic address: amy.abernethy@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Amy P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Abernethy
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000855:Anorexia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001835:Body Weight; D002100:Cachexia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D032921:Consensus; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013577:Syndrome; D009626:Terminology as Topic
keywords: Patient outcome assessment; carcinoma; health services research; non-small cell lung