Call to Improve Coding of Cancer-Associated Cachexia

Authors

• Marcus D. Goncalves, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY
• Richard F. Dunne, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
• Amy C. Moore, Lungevity Foundation, Chicago, IL
• Wendy Phillips, Morrison Healthcare, Atlanta, GA
• Steven B. Heymsfield, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA
• Justin C. Brown, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA
• Erin E. Talbert, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
• Tobias Janowitz, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-13-2025

Publication Title

JCO Oncology Practice

Abstract

Cachexia is a systemic wasting syndrome prevalent in patients with cancer that significantly affects quality of life, health care costs, and therapeutic outcomes. Despite its clinical importance, cachexia is rarely formally diagnosed. This deficiency presents a challenge for effective patient management and care, health care resource allocation, and the advancement of therapeutic approaches. Here, we highlight impedances to the diagnosis and coding of cachexia, including the absence of standardized therapy, a lack of incentives for accurate coding, and overlapping clinical features with other conditions. We differentiate cachexia from related conditions like unintentional weight loss, sarcopenia, frailty, and protein-calorie malnutrition, outlining their distinct clinical features and inter-relations. We propose an approach to enhance diagnostic accuracy and coding for cachexia. This effort will enable better prevalence data, translation of mechanism-based therapy development, patient identification and stratification, and ultimately advanced diagnostics and US Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for cachexia.

First Page

926

Last Page

931

DOI

10.1200/OP-24-00781

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Goncalves, Marcus D.; Dunne, Richard F.; Moore, Amy C.; Phillips, Wendy; Heymsfield, Steven B.; Brown, Justin C.; Talbert, Erin E.; and Janowitz, Tobias, "Call to Improve Coding of Cancer-Associated Cachexia" (2025). LSU-LCMC Cancer Center Faculty Publications. 132.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/llcc_facpubs/132
10.1200/OP-24-00781