Adam Kuchnia, assistant professor of nutritional sciences, was recently awarded an American Cancer Society (ACS) Research Scholar Grant. The grant supports investigator-initiated proposals that pursue questions across cancer research that align with ACS Priority Research Areas such as causes of cancer, obesity, diagnosis and survivorship.

Kuchnia’s funded project focuses on the imaging of cancer cachexia to better determine prognosis and treatment. Cancer cachexia (CC) is muscle loss during disease progression and treatments. This muscle loss is a massive contributor to decreased quality of life, and CC is associated with reduced tolerance for cancer treatment and increased risk of death.

Current diagnostic criteria for CC rely on total body weight loss or body mass index (BMI). However, these measures don’t accurately measure muscle quantity or quality in patients with elevated BMIs. Kuchnia’s work aims to increase the precision of CC assessment by going beyond measures of body weight and utilizing AI-based imaging tools to identify CC thresholds for muscle, fat and other specific body tissues. Further, he intends to look at how these tissue-specific thresholds impact outcomes such as treatment tolerance and survival.

Building on previous work in his lab, Kuchnia will use non-invasive imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) to measure how muscle and fat stores change over time in people with cancer. The new work will focus on developing a broader set of imaging parameters that can more accurately and quickly predict a patient’s risk of poor outcomes across all body sizes – a development that could increase equity of care. This strategy utilizes imaging techniques that are already used during treatment, meaning clinicians could gain more information without additional expense or time.

By identifying CC earlier, treatment strategies could shift to interventions that help maintain muscle mass rather than attempting to regain it after loss. The impact of this work will also benefit family, friends and caregivers of patients, as earlier diagnosis and intervention supports improved quality of life and independence, with the ultimate goal of longer life.