Description

The investigators' long-term goal is to improve cachexia treatment for patients with cancer. The project is significant because identifying cachexia earlier in its onset allows for earlier and more successful treatment. Major barriers to early detection and treatment are: 1) clear specific lab tests to confirm the diagnosis and 2) identifying when resting energy expenditure (REE) increases. It is the investigators' expectation that at the completion of these descriptive studies, key factors will be identified to guide earlier detection and treatment of cachexia. Platinum-based chemotherapy and surgery are a dual-phase treatment regimen to treat bladder cancer that has a high risk of worsening cachexia compared to other cancer types not requiring such an intensive treatment regimen. Inhibition of Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a promising preventive strategy against cachexia in patients with bladder cancer. Understanding GDF-15 and REE changes over the course of treatment could inform proactive rather than reactive strategies to support the health of these patients and translate to patients with other types of cancer. The objective of this application is to assess changes in GDF-15 and REE levels during the treatment course for advanced bladder cancer.