A study looking at helping families cope with weight loss and eating difficulties caused by cancer

This study was looking at a way of supporting people in coping with weight loss and eating problems caused by advanced cancer.

People with cancer can have eating problems and weight loss. Many people with advanced cancer have severe weight loss. Severe weight loss is one symptom of a complex problem called cachexia (pronounced cack-ex-ee-ah).

Cachexia can be very upsetting for both patients and their families. Researchers are looking for ways of helping people to cope with these problems.

The aims of this study were to

• Develop a new way of helping people with cancer and their families cope with weight loss and eating difficulties

• See if it will be possible to test this in a randomised trial