Cancer researchers at Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin and Advocate Health Care in Illinois are studying whether people with cancer who lose weight, a phenomenon known as cancer cachexia, have anything in common that could point doctors to better treatment regimens in the future.
People with cancer cachexia experience fat and muscle-mass loss due to decreased nutritional intake resulting from their cancer. Cancer cachexia can lead to a lower quality of life and chance of survival, and previous one-size-fits-all attempts to treat it have been largely unsuccessful.
“Cancer cachexia may have different contributing factors depending on the individual and the type of cancer,” said oncologist Thomas Saphner, MD, Advocate Aurora Research Institute’s principal investigator for the study. “Through this study, we hope to determine how cancer cachexia affects people differently – their symptoms and physical functionality – and whether there are different causes for different groups or individuals.”
This clinical trial will enroll participants with colorectal, lung or pancreatic cancer that cannot be removed by surgery, as people with these types of cancer are at higher risk for developing cachexia. Between 50% and 83% of people with these cancers experience cachexia.
Participants in the trial will not undergo any investigational treatment but will instead complete surveys and physical function tests, provide blood and tumor samples, and record sleep and exercise data over the course of one year. During the clinical trial, participants will receive routine treatment that their doctors prescribe.
“Observational studies like this are important, as they could help researchers develop new diagnostic tests for cancer cachexia and create future clinical trials to evaluate potential targeted treatments,” said Melissa Kadar, Director of the Research Institute’s Center of Excellence in Cancer Research.
The Research Institute is participating in the study through its inclusion in the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), which brings cancer clinical trials to people in their own communities instead of only at major research institutions.
Researchers at sites across the country plan to enroll approximately 800 participants in the clinical trial, “An observational research study to uncover subtypes of cancer cachexia, LOTUS-CC Study (LOTUS-CC),” which is sponsored by University of Rochester NCORP Research Base and NCI.
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About Advocate Aurora Research Institute
Advocate Aurora Research Institute is a not-for-profit, limited liability company of Advocate Aurora Health. Advocate Aurora has emerged as a national destination for patient-centered bench, translational and clinical research, and the Research Institute unifies the innovative research efforts throughout the health system. Advocate Aurora researchers focus on rapidly translating new discoveries from the scientist’s bench to the patient’s bedside and into the community we serve to improve options and outcomes that change not only the lives of individuals, but transform the health of populations.