Korean J Hosp Palliat Care.  2014 Mar;17(1):18-26. 10.14475/kjhpc.2014.17.1.18.

The Relationship of Plasma Visfatin Level and Anorexia in Terminal Cancer Patients

• Lee SJ
• Lee JY
• Choi YS
• Lee JY

• KMID: 1981030
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14475/kjhpc.2014.17.1.18

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.

Keyword

Visfatin; Hospice; Anorexia; Cancer

MeSH Terms

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
Blood Glucose
C-Reactive Protein
Cholesterol
Creatinine
Leptin
Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase
Nitrogen
Serum Albumin
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Urea