Cancer Nos
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this pilot research is to study brown adipose tissue, a type of fat that increases metabolism (burns energy) during exposure to cold, and how it may contribute to the weight loss observed in cancer.
Detailed description
The purpose of this research is to study brown adipose tissue, a type of fat that increases metabolism (burns energy) during exposure to cold, and how it may contribute to the weight loss observed in cancer. Many patients affected by cancer lose weight, despite normal or increased nutrition. It may progress to the condition called "cancer-associated cachexia." Cancer associated cachexia is defined by an ongoing loss of skeletal muscle mass with or without the loss of fat mass, and may negatively affect quality of life and the ability to undergo cancer treatments. Metabolism is the breakdown of food by the body into the energy that your body needs.
Interventions
PROCEDUREResting Energy Expenditure
During each visit, the participant will be assessed in a resting state in a stable temperature controlled environment, and will undergo tests to find out how the body adjusts its metabolism to different temperatures.
OTHERThermal Comfort Questionnaire
Patients will be given a questionnaire to assess their thermal response (whether they felt warmer or colder) during each study visit.
Sponsors
Virginia Commonwealth University
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Study design
Observational model
CASE_ONLY
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* ≥ 40 years of age * Have active cancer diagnosis. * Have had a PET/CT scan within the past 12 months at time of enrollment. * Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
Exclusion criteria
* Current use of beta-blockers * Women who are pregnant or unsure of their pregnancy status * Women who are breastfeeding * Suffers from severe claustrophobia * Diagnosed with a serious psychiatric condition which could impede the judgement of the investigators, and/or the successful conduct of the recording. * In remission stage for cancer diagnosis
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Difference in resting energy expenditure between brown adipose tissue (BAT)-positive and BAT-negative patients with cancer. | 27 Months | Characterization of the energy metabolism profiles of cancer patients with and without evidence of BAT activation will be assessed utilizing one sided t-test. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Difference in energy expenditure between room temperature and response to warm exposure (energy expenditure) in BAT-positive and BAT-negative cancer patients. | 27 Months | Assessment of environmental modulation as an effective strategy to mitigate maladaptive BAT activation in patients with malignancy will be assessed by two-sided t-test. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORFrancesco S Celi, MD, MHSc
Virginia Commonwealth University
Outcome results
None listed