The Relationship of Plasma Visfatin Level and Anorexia in Terminal Cancer Patients.
10.14475/kjhpc.2014.17.1.18
- Author:
So Jin LEE
1
;
Joon Yong LEE
;
Youn Seon CHOI
;
June Young LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Family Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. younseon@korea.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Visfatin;
Hospice;
Anorexia;
Cancer
- MeSH:
Anorexia*;
Appetite;
Blood Glucose;
Body Mass Index;
C-Reactive Protein;
Cholesterol;
Creatinine;
Feeding Behavior;
Hematologic Tests;
Hospice Care;
Hospices;
Humans;
Informed Consent;
Leptin;
Leukocytes;
Lymphocyte Count;
Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase*;
Nitrogen;
Plasma*;
Serum Albumin;
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha;
Urea;
Young Adult
- From:Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
2014;17(1):18-26
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: Anorexia is a common symptom in terminal cancer patients. Some data have suggested a role of visfatin in regulating feeding behavior. We studied the relationship of a serum visfatin level and anorexia in cancer patients provided with hospice care. METHODS: After informed consent was obtained, 69 cancer patients over 20 years old at a hospice center were enrolled in the study from July 2009 to July 2010. We characterized patients by age, sex, body mass index, primary cancer site, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, etc. Also, blood tests were performed to measure the level of hemoglobin, white blood cell (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol, albumin, lymphocyte count, glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interukin-6, leptin and visfatin. RESULTS: The mean age of subjects was 65.5 years old, According to univariate analysis, pulse, ECOG performance scale, opioid use and visfatin level were different between the anorexia and non-anorexic group (P<0.05). The median visfatin level was higher in the anorexia group than the good appetite group (P=0.0323). Serum visfatin concentrations were not related with either body mass index or serum leptin or total cholesterol levels, but it was negatively correlated with serum albumin levels (P=0.0198) and lymphocyte counts (P=0.0013). CONCLUSION: This study did not identify a novel link between visfatin levels and anorexia in cancer patients at a hospice.
