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  4. Why does cancer make you lose weight?
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Why does cancer make you lose weight?

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Offline DoctorBeaver (OP)

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« on: 29/01/2009 22:51:06 »
 [???]
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Offline Chemistry4me

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #1 on: 29/01/2009 22:52:46 »
Any kind of cancer?
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Offline DoctorBeaver (OP)

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #2 on: 29/01/2009 22:56:03 »
Most kinds do, as far as I am aware. But mesothelioma in particular.
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Offline Chemistry4me

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #3 on: 29/01/2009 23:09:54 »
I am purely speculating here, but your body isn't absorbing as much carbs, proteins as you normally would. And maybe you're burning things off a bit faster too!
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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #4 on: 29/01/2009 23:17:57 »
Not sure about burning off faster. And why would something like mesothelioma stop your body absorbing cargs & proteins? A cancer in part of the digestive system I could understand.
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Offline Chemistry4me

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #5 on: 29/01/2009 23:20:18 »
It (cancers) releases substances into the body which breaks down fats and muscles faster?
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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #6 on: 29/01/2009 23:22:18 »
Ah, now that's a possibility.
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Offline Chemistry4me

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #7 on: 29/01/2009 23:26:23 »
These substances may make your metabolism speed up so that you burn calories faster?
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Offline DoctorBeaver (OP)

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #8 on: 29/01/2009 23:28:13 »
I really don't know. But if your metabolism speeds up, wouldn't you feel warmer?
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Offline Chemistry4me

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #9 on: 29/01/2009 23:32:57 »
Yeah, I suppose. Why?

Quote from: DoctorBeaver on 29/01/2009 23:28:13
But if your metabolism speeds up, wouldn't you feel warmer?
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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #10 on: 30/01/2009 00:00:04 »
Coz I don't feel warmer
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Offline Chemistry4me

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #11 on: 30/01/2009 00:08:44 »
And you've been losing weight recently?
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Offline RD

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #12 on: 30/01/2009 03:43:15 »
Maybe some confusion here between cancer and the side-effects of chemotherapy to treat cancer,
 which can include weight loss from nausea and vomiting.

Tumors can cause weight gain ...

Quote
Largest Tumor Removed Intact
The largest tumor ever removed intact was a multicystic mass of the right ovary weighing 137.6 kg (303 lb). The operation, which took over six hours, was performed by Professor Katherine O�Hanlan of Stanford University Medical Center, California, USA. The growth had a diameter of 1 m (3 ft) and was removed in its entirety in October 1991 from the abdomen of an unnamed 34-year-old woman. The patient who weighed 95 kg (210 lb) after the operation and has made a full recovery left the operating theater on one stretcher and the cyst left on another.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=05a_1191521268
« Last Edit: 30/01/2009 03:50:22 by RD »
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Offline chris

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #13 on: 30/01/2009 21:08:55 »
I answered this question a little while ago. Here's the link:

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=1732.0;prev_next=prev
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Offline OldDragon

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #14 on: 31/01/2009 01:02:19 »
Slightly off topic, I expected to lose weight when on chemotherapy. In reality I gained about 2 stones. Although I wasn't sick, I found that it, or the anti-sickness drugs, played havoc with my IBS and GI tract considerably. It seems that is still the case a few weeks after completing the chemo.
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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #15 on: 31/01/2009 14:13:28 »
I haven't started chemo yet as the condition has only just been confirmed and my appetite is fine. I can't say for certain when my weight loss started but when I was weighed in hospital in September I'd lost over 2 stone from when I'd last been weighed a year or so previously.
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Offline RD

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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #16 on: 31/01/2009 16:31:40 »
From Cancer Research UK ...

Quote
Cachexia seems to be more common in people with lung cancer or with cancers anywhere in the digestive system.
The main symptoms are:-

Severe loss of weight, including loss of fat and muscle mass 
Loss of appetite 
Feeling sick (nausea) 
Feeling full after eating small amounts 
Anaemia (low red blood cells) 
Weakness and fatigue

We don't know exactly what happens in cachexia, but scientists now think that the cancer releases chemicals into the blood that contribute to the loss of fat and muscle.  These chemicals may make your metabolism speed up so that you use up calories faster.  Because your body is using up energy faster than it is getting it, you can have severe weight loss even if you are eating normally.  Losing muscle and fat can make it look as though you are ‘wasting away’.  This can all be made worse because of the side effects of cancer treatment you are having.
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=10428
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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #17 on: 31/01/2009 16:37:04 »
The only symptoms I've had from that list are weight loss, weakness & fatigue; but the weakness & fatigue have been around for quite a while due to my other health problems and haven't got noticably worse.
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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #18 on: 31/01/2009 17:37:56 »
Wasting is not exclusive to cancer: it also occurs in tuberculosis. 
A common denominator between cancer and TB would be immune response.
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Why does cancer make you lose weight?
« Reply #19 on: 31/01/2009 18:03:57 »
I know it's not exclusive to cancer. Thinking asbout it, some of my weight loss may be due to muscle atrophy as I'm not doing as much physical stuff as I used to because of my increased breathlessness.
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