Why does the appetite get worse in the late stage of lung cancer?

Why does appetite become worse in the late stage of lung cancer?

In the late stage of lung cancer, the appetite is getting worse and worse, mainly due to chronic consumption caused by the tumor, the body's absorption of nutrients, or it may be caused by late respiratory failure or tumor metastasis. It is recommended to follow the doctor's advice for nutritional support treatment and actively improve the reasons for the worsening appetite.

1. Chronic consumption:

Lung cancer in the late stage will lead to chronic consumption and malnutrition, which will affect the functions of various organs, including the digestive tract, so the appetite will become worse and worse. You can consider using drugs such as megestrol acetate dispersible tablets to enhance your appetite according to the doctor's advice.

2. Respiratory failure:

Advanced lung cancer may cause large airway obstruction or be accompanied by a large amount of pleural effusion, which may affect respiratory function, leading to respiratory failure and hypoxia. At this time, if gastrointestinal hypoxia occurs, it will affect the digestive tract function and cause the patient's appetite to become worse and worse. In the above cases, oxygen inhalation is required to improve the symptoms of hypoxia. If there is a large amount of pleural effusion, thoracentesis or chest tube drainage is required.

3. Tumor metastasis:

Advanced lung cancer may metastasize to distant sites, with the liver and stomach being common sites of metastasis, as both are major digestive organs. When lung cancer metastasizes to the liver or stomach, it can damage liver function and gastric motility, leading to loss of appetite. There is generally no special treatment for distant metastasis, and the main treatment methods are to treat the underlying disease and symptoms, such as preparing enteral nutrition meals or infusing nutrient solutions.