Medical imaging in cancer cachexia

• Published in: Radiologe 2024-11, Vol.64 (Suppl 1), p.10-15
• Main Authors: Ko, Hyun Soo, Attenberger, Ulrike
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; Atrophy; Cachexia - diagnosis; Cachexia - diagnostic imaging; Cachexia - etiology; Cachexia - physiopathology; Cancer; Cardiac Imaging; Diagnostic Imaging - methods; Diagnostic Radiology; Disease control; Humans; Imaging; Interventional Radiology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Medical imaging; Medical research; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Muscular fatigue; Neoplasms - complications; Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Neuroradiology; Radiology; Review; Ultrasound; Weight loss
• ISSN: 2731-7048; 0033-832X; 2731-7056; 2731-7056; 1432-2102
• DOI: 10.1007/s00117-024-01346-5

Cancer cachexia, often referred to as “wasting syndrome,” is characterized by fatigue, weakness, and involuntary weight loss. This syndrome is concomitant with progressive skeletal muscle atrophy with or without adipose tissue loss and is frequently accompanied by systemic inflammation. Understanding the complexities of cancer cachexia is crucial for early detection and intervention, and it is also paramount for enhancing patient outcomes. Medical imaging, comprising diverse imaging modalities, plays a pivotal role in this context, facilitating the diagnosis and surveillance assessment of both the disease extent and the body composition changes that offer valuable information and insights into disease progression. This article provides a comprehensive discourse of the pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical manifestations of cancer cachexia as well as the role of medical imaging in this setting. Particular emphasis is placed on contemporary multidisciplinary and translational research efforts for the development of diagnostic and treatment tools, aiming to mitigate the devastating consequences of cancer cachexia.