What is cachexia in cancer? Cachexia. Cancer type of cachexia. Treatment of cancer cachexia

In two thirds of cases, they are accompanied by weight loss, causing exhaustion of the body. This serious illness demands to himself special attention because it can pose a threat to life.

Concept

Exhaustion of the body with significant loss of fat and muscle mass called cachexia.

The disease can be caused by many reasons.

• If the patient has very low weight due to malnutrition due, for example, to poverty or excessive dieting, then such cachexia is called primary.
• The manifestation of pathology as a consequence of other diseases indicates the secondary nature of cachexia. Usually exhaustion occurs as a result severe violations in the body, chronic or acute manifestations diseases.

A signal that emaciation refers to a case of cachexia is a weight loss over the course of a year of 5% or more of the patient’s total weight. It is important to treat exhaustion of the body in a timely manner, preventing dangerous stage this phenomenon.

Causes of malignant cachexia

Why oncology causes exhaustion, experts do not have a clear opinion. More recently, the prevailing view was that cancer cells affect the functioning of the body in such a way that energetic resources are directed to satisfy the needs of tumor cells, and healthy cells As a result of this phenomenon, the necessary substances are not received enough.

Now researchers are inclined to conclude that cachexia is the body’s reaction to the aggressive manifestation of cancer. It was discovered that the genome responsible for fat metabolism is blocked by the development of oncology.

Scientists were able to identify a genome that may be the initiator of the depletion of a cancer patient, this is TSC22D4. Experiments have shown that after blocking it energy balance came back to normal.

Some cell features lead to weight loss:

• Cells of different tissues have their own specific differences. The loss of differences between cells, the erasing of the edges that make them different, contributes to the appearance of oncology in the body.
• Life activity cancer cells produces substances that are toxins. The tumor, through its negative impact on metabolism, causes disruption of self-regulation processes.

Symptoms

If cachexia is caused by an oncological pathology, the following signs may be observed:

• significant weight loss
• lethargy,
• nervous exhaustion,
• there are feverish conditions,
• muscles look exhausted
• drowsiness,
• the patient becomes unable to work,
• the appearance of wrinkles,
• the structure of hair and nails show signs of unhealthy changes,
• subcutaneous tissue becomes sharply thinner,
• swelling subcutaneous tissue,
• sagging skin,
• the skin has an unhealthy color (earthy-gray tint),
• the volume of blood that circulates in the body decreases;
• there is an accumulation of edematous fluid in some parts of the body,
• gag reflex develops
• anemia,
• sexual desire decreases,
• blood pressure tends to decrease,
• signs of dehydration,
• bowel dysfunction: constipation or diarrhea;
• appear dental problems: stomatitis, possible tooth loss.

Forms and types

The disease is classified according to the disorders that caused depletion:

• Cancerous cachexia as a result of the development of a tumor process.
• Pituitary cachexia is caused by a malfunction of the pituitary gland.
• Heart cachexia – heart disease can cause exhaustion of the body; the diagnosis of cachexia can be established after laboratory and other tests.
• Cerebral cachexia is a type of pathology caused by disturbances in brain activity.
• Nutritional cachexia is a disease of lack of nutrients through hunger or a poor diet. This type of disorder also includes anorexia nervosa.
• Amyloid cachexia is a disease associated with metabolic disorders.
• One type of cachexia is caused by dysfunction digestive organs , as a result of which sufficient absorption of necessary substances does not occur.

The international classification distinguishes the following forms of cachexia:

• Marasmus– with this disorder, organ functions are preserved, and atrophy affects the subcutaneous tissue and skeletal muscles.
• Kwashiorkor– pathology of the type of nutritional depletion severe form. Patients with this diagnosis experience protein starvation for a long period.
• Marasmus-kwashiorkor– signs of the first two disorders appear simultaneously.

Complications

Severe weight loss can have negative consequences:

• dehydration of the body,
• to whom,
• bleeding during peptic ulcer intestines or stomach,
• blood poisoning,
• renal and heart failure,
• vitamin deficiency,
• mental disorders.

Degrees

Exhaustion affects the tolerability of oncology procedures and the ability to positive results from their use. With significant weight loss, the patient may not have enough strength to make positive changes.

There are three degrees of cachexia:

• The initial period is called precachexia. It is determined by the following characteristics:
  • lack of appetite,
  • violation:
    • temperature regime,
    • breathing rate,
    • number of leukocytes in the blood;
    • weight change up to 5% over six months.

  With properly selected measures, you can stop the process associated with weight loss at this stage.

• Behind initial period a condition called cachexia occurs. The main symptom is a decrease in weight beyond five percent of the total weight. The progression of the pathology puts the patient to bed due to lack of strength.

Photo cancer cachexia in a man

• When the body stops responding to treatment, the final stage of development of the pathology occurs - refractory cachexia. This stage leads to death.

Diagnostics

To confirm the presence of cachexia syndrome in a patient, an examination is carried out, which includes:

• analysis of patient complaints,
• physical examination:
  • it is checked whether there is a disorder of consciousness,
  • defined:
    • body mass index,
    • how much skin retain elasticity,
    • the thickness of the fat layer located under the skin.
• carrying out analyses:
  • blood cultures (if necessary) to check for sepsis,
  • blood tests: ,
  • general research urine,
• The patient is sent for consultation with specialists:
  • neurologist,
  • gastroenterologist,
  • psychiatrist,
  • endocrinologist,
  • oncologist,
  • surgeon,
• diagnostics are performed using the following equipment:
  • Magnetic resonance imaging,
  • esophagogastroduodenoscopy,
  • ultrasonography,
  • X-ray examination.

Treatment of cancer cachexia

Normalization of the process that prompted the body to lose weight is carried out in a hospital. The following methods are mainly used:

• hormone therapy,
• the use of enzymes for complete digestion of food,
• selection of a balanced diet,
• use of appetite stimulants,
• vitamin therapy,
• antibacterial treatment.

Lifespan

The processes accompanying cancer cachexia significantly worsen the general condition of the patient. These consequences include:

• skeletal muscle atrophy,
• thinning of the fat layer
• and other negative phenomena.

A third of patients with oncological pathology cachexia is fatal. The condition of the muscles of the organs deteriorates, and they lose the ability to fully function. Poor prognosis for refractory cachexia.

If metabolism is severely suppressed, then we can say that the body does not have the strength to resist pathology. The patient in this situation survives for three months at best.

Received on time curative measures to prevent complex degree cachexia, make its effect on life expectancy insignificant.

Video about anorexia-cachexia syndrome:

Oncological disease can cause general exhaustion and weakening of the human body. Cachexia in cancer indicates running forms malignant tumor– a sharp decrease in body weight and severe weakness are signs of stage 3-4 oncology.

Types and causes of exhaustion

Rapid weight loss is never without cause - cachexia with cancer or endocrine diseases develops over a limited amount of time. There are 2 main groups of causes of exhaustion:

1. Exogenous (any external factors affecting weight loss - chronic and long-term malnutrition, psychogenic anorexia, long-term stressful situation, severe general infectious diseases, constant reception medicines with negative influence by weight);
2. Endogenous (pathology of internal organs and endocrine glands– diseases of the pituitary gland and thyroid gland, diseases of any department gastrointestinal tract, cardiopulmonary failure, systemic diseases and oncology).

Having eliminated external factors, it is possible to restore the human body without any particular difficulties and consequences with the help of course therapy, but with pathology of internal organs, healing may take long time, and the prognosis will not always be favorable. Especially if the examination reveals a malignant tumor of any location.

The most common types of severe weight loss and exhaustion occur:

• psychogenic;
• endocrine;
• cancer cachexia.

Rapid weight loss is a symptom that cannot be ignored: if you experience unexplained weight loss, you should immediately consult a doctor to find out the cause as early as possible pathological condition. Often, the time factor plays an important role - in oncopathology, detection of the disease in the first stages is a prognostically favorable variant of the disease.

Symptoms of the pathological process

The worst option is cachexia with oncological diseases. In addition to rapidly progressing extreme exhaustion, the following manifestations of the disease may appear:

• constant and severe weakness;
• rapid onset of fatigue with minimal load;
• sleep problems (severe drowsiness or insomnia);
• lethargy, emotional apathy and mental disorders;
• problems with skin and hair (flabbiness, dryness, pallor, hair loss);
• eating disorders (lack of appetite, dysphagia, nausea, vomiting);
• tendency to constipation;
• swelling in the limbs;
• frequent respiratory infections;
• hypotension (decreased blood pressure) with dizziness and fainting;
• anemia (decrease in hemoglobin and red blood cells in the blood);
• problems in the mouth (stomatitis, periodontitis, tooth loss);
• women have menstrual irregularities.

With rapid weight loss, there will always be additional complaints and symptoms indicating serious problems in organism. Regardless of what causes cachexia - a malignant tumor, endocrine pathology or psychogenic disorders– it is necessary to immediately begin symptomatic therapy: a loss of more than 50% of the initial body weight can become an irreversible condition for a person.

Treatment of exhaustion

Having discovered a cachectic state, and without waiting for confirmation of the main diagnosis, it is necessary to start therapy as early as possible. The main principles of treatment are:

• correction of dehydration (droppers with nutrient solutions);
• normalization of nutrition (introduction of a sufficient amount of protein, easily digestible fats, vitamins and microelements into the diet);
• use of appetite stimulants;
• prescribing medications for digestion (enzymes);
• Anabolic steroids and psychotropic drugs are used according to indications.

An important factor in therapy is identifying and eliminating the main cause of the pathological condition. In case of cancer, surgery is performed when there is improvement. general condition and increase in body weight – surgical intervention against the background of severe cachexia, it is carried out only for health reasons. On the background endocrine disorders introduction of corrective drugs into the treatment regimen hormonal balance, leads to rapid recovery weight. At psychogenic factors An important role in therapy is assigned to the psychotherapist.

Forecast for life

Confirmed cancer cachexia, in which life expectancy is limited to a short period of time, requires symptomatic therapy to improve the general condition of a sick person. Severe exhaustion due to oncology of any location is last stage cancerous tumor: most often surgery and drug therapy They help prolong life, but do not cure. The prognosis for life in a cachectic state against the background of a malignant tumor is unfavorable: in the vast majority of cases, death occurs within a few months from the moment of pronounced weight loss.

Any option for reducing body weight in a short period of time is an extremely unfavorable sign indicating the need for full examination With mandatory treatment exhaustion. It is impossible to postpone diagnostic and treatment measures - than formerly a doctor makes a diagnosis, the greater the chance of recovery.

A condition in which a person loses a lot of weight is called cachexia. In cancer patients with such depletion, problems arise in the functioning of the most important organic systems. This, in turn, leads to many additional complications and sometimes causes death. With severe neglect, getting rid of cachexia becomes almost impossible.

Symptoms

Rapid loss of former bodily mass;
. fast fatiguability;
. excessive brittleness of nails due to vitamin deficiency;
. hair and tooth loss;
. various pathologies mucous membrane (for example, stomatitis);
. weakening protective functions body.

How the process is formed

The hypothalamic form of this defect is characterized by a complete or partial cessation of peptide synthesis in the plasma. Due to this failure, the following deviations appear:

The production of protein kinase, which ensures the modification of protein components, is inhibited;
. lipogenesis is blocked, including the breakdown, digestion and subsequent absorption of lipids; also, lipogenesis is responsible for the transport of fats from the intestines (this function is also greatly impaired);
. energy exchange becomes abnormally intense;
. hypocortisolism is present;
. Hypoinsulinism occurs - a defect that leads to a decrease in blood sugar concentration.

Exhaustion due to the breakdown of tumor tissue

As a rule, this type of deviation appears in people who suffer from the rapid decomposition of a cancerous conglomerate, regardless of the size of the cancer focus. The causes of exhaustion are as follows:
. intoxication of the body with cancer cells or products of associated complications;
. accumulation of excessive amounts of lactic acid, which has a detrimental effect on liver function; in addition, the body tries to combat this deviation by using the entire available carbon reserve, but the restoration of expended resources does not occur.

Often, the malignant type of cachexia accompanies cancer of the gastrointestinal tract or respiratory system. Due to damage to the digestive system, a person develops an aversion to almost all types of food. As a result, a deficiency of nutrients occurs, and the patient begins to rapidly lose weight. A curious fact is that, as a rule, cachexia is absent in cases of severe cancer lesions, but in the presence of small cancer lesions, on the contrary, it develops quite quickly. Because of this trend, doctors to this day cannot determine the exact prerequisites for the formation of the deviation in question.

Therapy

Rapid exhaustion is already evidence harmful influence external factors or certain pathologies. For this reason, therapeutic measures are primarily aimed at eliminating the defect that caused the sudden weight loss. If the cause is some kind of disease, a person naturally undergoes a course to eliminate it. If the causes of cachexia are provoked by external factors, measures are taken to minimize their influence. Also, a rehabilitation course is being completed.

However, the fundamental condition for quality treatment is restoration balanced nutrition. The diet must include proteins, vitamins, and fats. If a person has digestive abnormalities (food is poorly processed and absorbed), a specialist prescribes multienzyme honey. agents (for example, pancreatin).

Pancreatin

The amount of medication prescribed depends on the age of the patient and the degree of deficiency of enzymes produced by the pancreas. The medicine is taken before meals or with food. It must be washed down big amount liquids ( boiled water or natural fruit juice). Average daily norm, divided into 3-6 doses, equals 0.25-0.5 g. With a severe lack of secretory functionality, the daily dose increases to 0.75 g. In the case of a child under one and a half years old, the initial dosage is 0.1 g, older - 0.2 g is prescribed. The duration of the course depends on the severity of the pathology. It can range from several days to several months (and sometimes years).

This product has its own list of contraindications. Among them are:
. individual intolerance to the components of the drug;
. the presence of pancreatitis (both in acute and chronic stages).
When taking the described medication, a person may encounter such side effects:
. inflammation of the pancreas;
. allergies;
. an increase in the concentration of lactic acid in the urine.
If the patient's condition is very serious, he is given parenteral glucose, as well as amino acid mixtures and vitamins. If necessary, the specialist prescribes anabolic steroids.

Glucose

Honey. the drug is administered orally, through veins or muscle tissue. Single dosage equals 0.5-1 g. Glucose is administered subcutaneously or through a vein with a solution of 4.5-5%. Its quantity is 300-350 ml. Sometimes it is administered through an enema with a daily dose of up to 2 liters. With excessive glucose absorption, a water-salt imbalance may appear. Thrombosis is also likely to form. Everyone is allowed to take glucose, except people suffering from diabetes.

Andriol

The optimal dosage is prescribed by the doctor on an individual basis. When calculating the dose, the specialist relies on clinical picture. As a rule, the starting daily amount is 120-160 mg. This course lasts 2-3 weeks, after which the dose is gradually reduced to 40-120 mg per day. A capsule of the medication is drunk after a meal (if necessary, it is lightly washed down with water or juice). The capsule must be swallowed whole (without chewing). The medicine is taken in the mornings and evenings. If the daily number of capsules is an odd number, the larger dose is taken in the morning. The medicine should not be taken by patients suffering from verified carcinoma of the prostate or mammary glands.

Periactin

Prescribed to restore normal appetite. Adult dose looks like that:
. tablets - half or one piece 3-4 times a day;
. syrup - 1-2 teaspoons 3-4 times a day.
The medicine should not be used by people with excessively high intraocular pressure, stomach ulcer or asthma.

Primobolan-Depot

Given medicine administered through muscle tissue. Adults take 1 ampoule once every 2 weeks. With subsequent treatment, the frequency of administration is reduced: a person also takes 1 ampoule, but once every 3 weeks. As for children, their dosage is calculated according to the following ratio: 1 mg per 1 kg of weight. Frequency of administration: 1 time per 2 weeks.
The drug is prohibited for use by men with prostate cancer.

Power supply in the presence of the considered deviation

A diagnosis called “emaciation” is made to a person when there is a significant decrease in body weight. If fat people spend a lot of effort to lose weight, then thin people - on the contrary, take measures to get better and bring their weight to normal indicators. In addition to honey means that can stabilize the patient’s body weight proper nutrition. When exhausted, it is usually very poor appetite, for this reason it is recommended to start with small but high-calorie portions. The body must gradually get used to the food.

The best effect is achieved when breaking daily nutrition for 5-6 separate appointments, and these appointments must be carried out according to a strict schedule. If you eat at the same time, you can stimulate the digestive system. The dishes used should be tasty and even visually attractive (after all, the type of food can also stimulate appetite). However, if you eat through force, the effect will be the opposite.

Forecasts

All forecasts depend on the nature of the pathology and the severity of its course. Prognosis for cachexia directly depends on external factors and the disease that caused its occurrence. Weight loss in the presence of cancer indicates the advanced stage of the cancer process. If the cause is due to other factors, then the chances of recovery increase, although they are realized only under the condition of adequate and effective treatment, implying strict adherence to the diet. It should be remembered that any weight deviations (both up and down) can lead to death after some time.

Cachexia is a state of extreme exhaustion of the body. The pathology is characterized general weakness, a sharp progressive decrease in body weight and a slowdown in all physiological processes. These disorders are accompanied by asthenia, depression and other mental changes. Cachexia can be either an independent lesion or a complication various diseases, and requires immediate medical attention.

Symptoms of cachexia

Cachexia is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• Rapid weight loss up to 50% of body weight or more;
• Muscle weakness;
• Dehydration;
• Sleep disturbance;
• Reduced blood pressure;
• Tendency to infections;
• Loss of legal capacity.

When exhausted, the skin loses its elasticity, becomes flabby, and also turns pale or acquires an earthy tint. This occurs due to dehydration, vitamin deficiency and the disappearance of subcutaneous tissue. Trophic changes in nails and hair are observed, and stomatitis develops.

Cachexia is characterized by various violations functions of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system. Women experience amenorrhea due to a decrease in circulating blood volume. Vitamin deficiency is expressed mainly in hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, deficiency of iron and vitamin B12.

In addition to the listed lesions, exhaustion of the body is accompanied by various mental disorders. With asthenia, irritability, tearfulness and a subdepressive state appear, which, as the pathology develops, are replaced by lethargy, apathy and lack of physical strength. In cases of exacerbation of the underlying disease that caused cachexia, clouding of consciousness may appear in the form of amentia syndrome, as well as rudimentary or severe delirium. Exhaustion is often accompanied by anxiety and melancholy, apathetic stupor, pseudoparalytic syndrome or other forms mental disorders. Even if the cause of exhaustion has been eliminated, asthenia continues to be present for a long period.

Causes of cachexia

The totality of causes contributing to the development of cachexia can be divided into five groups:

• Deficiency of nutrients in the body due to fasting, diseases of the esophagus, teeth or oral cavity;
• Insufficient absorption useful elements due to diseases of the stomach and intestines, as well as operations on these organs;
• Increased need for proteins, fats and carbohydrates during rehabilitation after severe injuries or in the postoperative period;
• Rapid loss of vitamins and microelements due to kidney damage or massive burn tissue damage;
• Acceleration of metabolic processes due to failures endocrine system, heart failure, infections.

Depletion can be primary or secondary. The main causes of primary, or pituitary cachexia, are the following disorders:

• Brain injury;
• Prolonged psychogenic stress;
• Anorexia;
• Tumor or systemic damage to the pituitary gland;
• Autoimmune hypophysitis;
• Chronic specific infection;
• Hemorrhage;
• Embolism.

The secondary or symptomatic type of exhaustion is caused by the following factors:

• Malabsorption;
• Hypoinsulinism;
• Glucocorticoid deficiency;
• Increased synthesis of glucagon;
• Excessive production of somatostatin;
• Growth of neoplasms.

Pituitary cachexia

Pituitary cachexia, or Simmonds syndrome, is a pathology caused by lesions of the base of the brain, which lead to the development of functional hypothalamic-pituitary insufficiency. Main clinical manifestation severe exhaustion appears in combination with senile involution of organs and tissues. The etiology of the disease, in addition to infection of the pituitary gland, includes tuberculosis, syphilis, necrosis after hemorrhage or embolism, sclerosis, and tumor.

Pituitary cachexia usually progresses slowly and may remain undiagnosed for for long years. But in some cases, depending on the nature of the damage to the pituitary gland, all symptoms progress rapidly, and without treatment, cachexia leads to comatose state and death.

According to statistics, the disease occurs mainly in women 30-40 years old. The first sign is a violation menstrual cycle, up to the complete disappearance of menstruation. Then exhaustion develops, secondary sexual characteristics disappear, and atrophy internal organs, and mental health is also impaired.

Hormone replacement therapy is used to treat this type of cachexia:

• Adrenocorticotropic hormone;
• Deoxycorticosterone;
• Sex hormones;
• Prednisolone and other glucocorticoids.

In addition, they introduce saline, glucose solution, vitamins and provide high-calorie nutrition and rest.

Cancer cachexia

Cancer cachexia is the depletion of the body due to the development of a malignant tumor. For the development of pathology, the localization and volume of the tumor do not matter, although with tumors of the gastrointestinal tract the depletion is more pronounced. Cancer cachexia is believed to be associated with the following:

• Atypical metabolism, which causes high need tumor tissue in substrates used for its growth;
• Toxic effect of a tumor on the structures and functions of healthy organs and tissues.

As a result, the disease leads to irreversible deviations in homeostasis and death.

Treatment of cachexia in malignant tumors is symptomatic. In particular, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is used as an antiemetic, including after chemotherapy, since medical cannabinoids significantly stimulate appetite and body weight growth. By using fish oil in some cases, weight loss is also stopped, but in general this area of ​​​​oncology has not been sufficiently studied.

Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:

– extreme exhaustion that occurs in cancer. Manifests sharp decline body weight, muscle weakness, disability, sleep disorders, pallor and sagging skin, trophic changes in hair and nails, hypotension, decreased immunity, edema, mental disorders, amenorrhea in women and loss of libido in men. Cancer cachexia is accompanied by disturbances of all types of metabolism. It often becomes a direct or indirect cause of death of the patient. Diagnosed on the basis of anamnesis, external examination data and objective studies. Treatment is medicinal.

Classification of cancer cachexia

There are three stages of cancer cachexia:

• Precachexia. Accompanied by appetite disturbances, decreased glucose tolerance and other signs of exhaustion in the absence of significant loss weight.
• . Diagnosed by a loss of 5 percent or more body weight over the past six months, a loss of 2 percent or more body weight in combination with sarcopenia, or a loss of 2 percent or more body weight if the body mass index is less than 20 kg/m2.
• Refractory cancer cachexia. Accompanied by a pronounced deterioration of the patient’s condition, lack of response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and ineffectiveness therapeutic measures on weight gain.

Symptoms of cancer cachexia

Patients complain about severe weakness, lethargy, increased fatigue, fever, constipation or diarrhea. Violated circadian rhythm sleep-wake: at night, patients with cancer cachexia suffer from insomnia, in daytime feel sleepy. Women experience amenorrhea, men experience a lack of libido. Mental disorders develop. Many patients with cancer cachexia suffer from depression. Tearfulness, irritability and emotional lability are observed, followed by apathy and indifference. As the underlying disease progresses, disturbances of consciousness are possible.

External examination of patients with cancer cachexia reveals exhaustion varying degrees expressiveness. Sometimes (usually with tumors of the ovaries, uterus or breast, accompanied by hormonal disorders) patients have normal or increased body weight. The skin of patients with cancer cachexia is dry, loose, grayish or yellowish color with an earthy tint. There is a deepening of wrinkles, a pronounced deficiency of subcutaneous fat, brittle hair and nails, and increased hair loss. Aluminum edema, ascites, or hydrothorax may occur. Hypotension and tachycardia are detected. Stomatitis develops, and teeth may become loose and fall out. Blood tests determine anemia.

Diagnosis of cancer cachexia

The diagnosis of “cancer cachexia” is established taking into account the medical history (presence of cancer), complaints, external examination data, laboratory and instrumental studies. In the diagnostic process, attention is focused on reducing the amount of food consumed, the predominance of catabolic processes over anabolic ones, and pronounced functional disorders skeletal muscles(decrease in muscle mass, decrease in muscle strength), changes in the functional abilities of the body and deterioration in the quality of life of a patient suffering from cancer cachexia, endocrinologist, urologist, gynecologist, etc.

Treatment of cancer cachexia

Treatment is symptomatic. Patients with cancer cachexia are prescribed a diet that includes the consumption of easily digestible foods with a lot of proteins, fats, microelements and vitamins. They use drugs to increase appetite and antiemetics. If necessary (in case of severe exhaustion, difficulty swallowing, severe infectious complications), parenteral administration glucose, amino acid mixtures, vitamins and electrolyte solutions. In parallel, therapy for the underlying disease is carried out.

The prognosis in most cases is unfavorable, especially with refractory cancer cachexia. The patients' condition is gradually deteriorating. Disorders of homeostasis are aggravated due to disruption of activity various organs and systems and joining infectious complications. With a loss of 30-50% of protein, death. Immediate cause Deaths include severe general exhaustion, pneumonia and extensive bedsores. Cancer cachexia kills from 20 to 50% of patients suffering from cancer.