Symptom Management

Appetite Loss

Causes of weight loss (from the disease or treatments) include:

	Inadequate intake of nutrients because the patient cannot or does not want to eat
	Poor absorption of food that is consumed
	Changes in the patient's metabolism

Management of weight loss depends on the patient's goals. It may include:

	Eating small, frequent meals
	Eating high-calorie, high-protein foods and nutritional supplements
	Receiving nutritional counseling
	Feeding through artificial means (such as a tube or IV)
	Eating and drinking whatever the patient would like
	Relieving thirst by sucking on ice chips or a moist cloth

Medication can include:

	Corticosteroids, which stimulate appetite but do not usually increase weight
	Megestrol acetate, which stimulates appetite and causes slight weight gain
	Dronabinol, which prevents nausea and vomiting, and increases appetite, enhances a sense of well-being and causes weight-gain
	Cyproheptadine, which mildly enhances appetite, increases food intake and enhances weight gain
	Pentoxifylline, which potentially acts to lower levels of a substance (tumor necrosis factor) that contributes to weight loss in cancer patients.