Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to provide an update of physical activity improvement as an alternative objective variable to measure treatment effects of anticachexia therapy in cancer patients. The assessment of physical activity level as an outcome measure for cachexia studies is attractive as it offers a patient-centered outcome concerned with functional status and independence.
Recent findings: We present and review the most relevant recent clinical studies regarding the significance of physical activity in the context of the assessment of anticachexia treatment effects. Moreover, we have highlighted, on the basis of our recent phase III clinical trial on anticachexia treatment, the added value of correlating physical activity with the most common variables of cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome.
Summary: We believe that presently, and even more so in the near future, the consistent application of objective, patient-centered endpoints in cachexia trials, such as physical activity monitoring, may provide an additional significant and useful tool for the evaluation of outcomes of medical interventions in cancer cachexia.