Multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention to manage pancreatic cancer-related cachexia: a case report

Pancreatic cancer remains an aggressive disease, with a poor prognosis and a high risk of incurring into cachexia. Supportive care, such as exercise, nutritional and psychological support, may be effective in reducing functional loss, psychological distress and improving nutritional status. We report the effect of 12 weeks of multimodal lifestyle intervention in a 55-year-old female, diagnosed with unresectable body/tail pancreatic cancer and metastasis in the liver, bone, lymph node and lung, to counteract cachexia. The multimodal program resulted safe and feasible. Over 12 weeks, considerable improvements were found in body weight, health-related physical fitness, nutritional status, distress scores, anxiety and depression levels. These findings highlight the potential role of integrated supportive interventions to manage metastatic cancer and cancer-induced cachexia.
Lay abstract Pancreatic cancer has an unfavorable prognosis and a high risk of developing cachexia. Cachexia is a complex syndrome, manifesting with weight and muscle mass loss, usually leading to important metabolic disorders. To date, no effective treatments are available to reverse cancer-related cachexia, that it is also associated with a reduced probability of survival. In this report, we describe the benefits of an integrated intervention, including exercise, nutritional and psychological counseling, as a strategy to support a cachectic patient affected by metastatic pancreatic cancer.