Education

Patient Resources

Educational videos from our YouTube channel, downloadable patient aides you can print and bring to appointments, and a curated library of high-quality external resources on cachexia.

YouTube Channel

Educational videos

Expert interviews, research explainers, and patient perspectives — published on the CCN YouTube channel and embedded here. New content added regularly.

An introduction to the Cancer Cachexia Network

A short overview of the CCN — who we are, who we serve, and how patients and caregivers can get involved.

Introduction to Clinical Trials for Cachexia

Dr. Jose Garcia walks through what clinical trials are, how they work, and how patients with cachexia can find and access them.

Cachexia: a caregiver perspective

A caregiver shares his father's journey through pancreatic cancer and cachexia.

Disentangling the symptoms of cachexia and cancer treatment

A clip from the 2021 Cancer Cachexia Society Conference Patient-Focused Session on how to tell apart symptoms driven by cachexia versus those caused by cancer treatment.

Talking with loved ones about eating and exercise

How families can approach food and activity without turning mealtimes into a source of pressure or conflict.

Balancing the type and quality of food during cachexia

What matters most about what a patient eats when appetite is limited, and how to prioritize protein and calories.

Cachexia and cancer surgery

Why muscle loss before an operation matters, and what patients can ask their surgical team about it.

Have a topic you want us to cover? Ask in our Facebook group — many videos are inspired by community questions.

Visit our YouTube Channel →

Patient Aides

Downloadable handouts

Printable handouts and reports patients and caregivers can bring to appointments, share with family, or use as a starting point for conversations with their care team.

PDFCancer Cachexia Network

Talking to Your Care Team

A printable one-page handout with questions to bring to your next oncology appointment — designed to help patients raise the topic of cachexia with their care team.

Download PDF ↓

Curated Library

External resources

High-quality resources on cachexia from trusted organizations. We review and update this list regularly.

Patient Voice

Cancer Support Community↗

Cancer Support Community Voice of the Patient Report

CSC report capturing the lived experience of cachexia patients and caregivers (PDF).

Cancer Support Community↗

Cancer Support Community Voice of the Patient Video

Companion video to the Voice of the Patient report — patients and caregivers share their cachexia journeys.

Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care↗

Cancer Cachexia: A Caregiver and Advocate Perspective

A perspective article on the patient and caregiver experience of a cachexia diagnosis, published in Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care.

Cachexia Education

Cancer Support Community↗

Understanding Cancer Cachexia

Patient-friendly overview of cachexia from the Cancer Support Community.

American Cancer Society↗

Loss of Appetite (Anorexia) and Cachexia

Plain-language ACS guide covering appetite loss and cachexia — what causes them, how they're treated, and how patients and caregivers can navigate them together.

CANCAN (Cancer Grand Challenges)↗

Cancer Cachexia: No Time to Waste — patient resource media

Three-part video series with CANCAN investigators and advocates covering the basics of cachexia, risk factors and the body's response, and hope through clinical trials.