The animal cachexia score (ACASCO)

Angelica Betancourt; Sílvia Busquets; Marta Ponce; Míriam Toledo; Joan Guàrdia-Olmos; Maribel Peró-Cebollero; Francisco J. López-Soriano; Josep M. Argilés

doi:10.1002/ame2.12082

摘要：Background: None of the published studies involving cancer cachexia experimental models have included a measure of the severity of the syndrome like the scoring system previously developed for human subjects. The aim of the present investiga-tion was to define and validate a cachexia score usable in both rat and mouse tumor models. Methods: In order to achieve this goal, we included in the study one rat model (Yoshida AH-130ascites hepatoma) and two mouse models (Lewis lung carcinoma and Colon26 carcinoma). The Animal cachexia score (ACASCO) includes five compo-nents: (a) body and muscle weight loss, (b) inflammation and metabolic disturbances, (c) physical performance, (d) anorexia, and (e) quality of life measured using discom-fort symptoms and behavioral tests. Results: Using the ACASCO values, three cut-off values were estimated by apply-ing hierarchical cluster analysis. Four groups were originally described, one exactly below the observed mean, a second exactly over the mean, and two other groups adjusted to every cue (inferior and superior). The three cut-off values were estimated through maximization of the classification function. This was accomplished by using a similarity matrix based on the metric properties of the variables and assuming mul-tinormal distribution. The results show that the four groups were: no cachexia, mild cachexia, moderate cachexia and advanced cachexia. Conclusions: The results obtained allow us to conclude that the score could be very useful as an endpoint in pre-clinical studies involving therapeutic strategies for can-cer cachexia. The potential usefulness of ACASCO relates to the primary endpoint in pre-clinical cancer cachexia drug evaluations.