Cachexia, dietetic consultation, and survival in patients with pancreatic and periampullary cancer: A multicenter cohort study

It is unclear to what extent patients with pancreatic cancer have cachexia and had a dietetic consult for nutritional support. The aim was to assess the prevalence of cachexia, dietitian consultation, and overall survival in these patients. This prospective multicenter cohort study included patients with pancreatic cancer, who participated in the Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Project and completed patient reported outcome measures (2015–2018). Additional data were obtained from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Cachexia was defined as self‐reported >5% body weight loss, or >2% in patients with a BMI
The extent of cachexia and dietetic consultation in patients with pancreatic cancer in the real‐world setting is unclear. This prospective multicenter cohort study found that in patients, diagnosed between 2015 and 2018, two‐third presented with cachexia of whom nearly half had no dietetic consultation. Survival was comparable in patients with and without cachexia, but decreased in patients with more severe weight loss.