Trial reportSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2004
Assessment of gastrointestinal function and response to megesterol acetate in subjects with gastrointestinal cancers and weight loss.
Trial report in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pancreatic Cancer Cachexia: The Role of Nutritional Interventions.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2019Review
- Pancreatic cancer cachexia: a review of mechanisms and therapeutics.Frontiers in physiology · 2014Review
- Nutritional considerations after gastrectomy and esophagectomy for malignancy.Current treatment options in oncology · 2011Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCancer-associated anorexia/cachexia syndrome (CACS) is common in advanced gastrointestinal malignancies and felt to be due primarily to cytokine-induced appetite suppression. Therapy with an appetite stimulant (megesterol acetate) is commonly employed, but results are sometimes disappointing. We hypothesize that CACS not only suppresses appetite but also interferes with gastrointestinal function.
methodsWe conducted a prospective study in which 21 subjects with advanced gastrointestinal cancer and weight loss had digestive function. Patients were assessed using an indirect stable isotope method, and nutritional parameters were determined following which patients were treated with megesterol acetate for 4 weeks. Nutritional parameters were then reassessed, weight change determined, and the results were correlated with digestive function results obtained at the initiation of the study.
resultsAbnormal gastrointestinal function based on the stable isotope test was common (86% of patients). The majority of the abnormal function appeared to be due to abnormal pancreatic function testing, in which 17/21 subjects recorded low results. Initial albumin, prealbumin, and carotene values were also frequently abnormal (55-65% of patients). Megesterol acetate therapy resulted in a weight gain in most (75%) patients, although serum albumin fell modestly in the group (average decrease of 0.2 mg/dl). However, prealbumin levels rose in 70% and carotene levels rose in 55%. The degree of weight gain was negatively correlated with previous self-reported weight loss ( r=-0.53, p<0.05), and positively correlated ( p<0.05) with pretherapy carotene ( r=0.58), prealbumin ( r=0.61) and the pancreatic function (digestive) phase of the digestive function test ( r=0.41).
conclusionThese data suggest that abnormal digestive function is commonly seen in subjects with CACS and advanced gastrointestinal cancer, and that both pretherapy digestive function and nutritional status can predict or possibly influence the outcome of hormonal appetite stimulation therapy.
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